Nepu May Cry: Neo-Alpha
by 90k9
Summary: The pain of a Game Over is the Joy of New game plus
1. Chapter 1: Game Start

Chapter 1:

Purple Heart didn't exactly find herself in the most favorable of situations. Three of her rivals, all teamed up to take her down.

"C'mon guys, don't you think this is a little unfair?"

"Shut it Bitch"

White Heart of Lowee, the oldest, yet smallest, of the CPUs. Fierce, brutal, and unforgiving. Wielding a rocket powered hammer that transforms into a gargantuan gatling gun. She unleashed a storm bullets that tracked Purple Heart intensely. Purple Heart found herself cooped up behind a small wall, barely waist high above.

In a desperate attempt to retaliate, Purple Heart drew out her magnum and aimed it above the wall without revealing the rest of her body, blind firing profusely hoping to land a single hit. To her surprise, the machine gun fire stopped, and a horrible screech was heard from White Heart.

"That bitch got my eye!"

A boost of morale shot up through Purple Heart. She thought that maybe she had a chance to win this. She focused on White Heart and got a clear view of her head though the scope of her magnum.

"Goodnight"

But before she could finish the job, a streak a yellow flashes across Purple Heart's vision, her magnum splitting in half as various gun parts and gears showered her immediate area.

"Who the hell?"

"My my Purple, you left yourself in open just like that? I thought you would be smarter."

Green Heart of Leanbox, the youngest of the CPUs yet the largest in terms of bust and height. An expert marksman and excellent spear woman. For her, range was one of her strongest assets, only matched to her beauty. Green heart fires another round at Purple Heart, who unsheathed her blade just in time to split the bullet in half.

"Fuck off thunder tits! Her head's mine!"

White heart dashed her way above Purple Heart, preparing an intense slamming attack that would for sure end the reign of the Purple Goddess. Thinking fast, Purple heart blocked the attack with her sword. The impact nearly shattered her bones. Her blade cracking and losing bits and pieces. White heart stepped backed and readied herself for another attack. Purple Heart, still recovering from the attack, made the bold move of dashing forward and jabbing whatever was left of her blade into the side of White Heart. Screaming in agony, white heart jolted back and dropped her hammer. Purple Heart then followed up with a fist on a one-way course to White Heart's skull. Before she could make contact, a sharp pain echoes through Purple Heart's side. Green heart, crouched behind White Heart snickered smugly and jumped onto White Heart, using her as a platform to kick off and spin, landing a devastating impact into the lodged spear. Purple Heart screamed in pain as Green Heart pulled back the spear as a fountain of coded blood erupted from Planpetune's goddess.

Unarmed and injured, with two fierce enemies chasing after her. Purple Heart's morale plummeted as she ran for her life. Unlike her rivals, Purple Heart lacked a flight module, she found herself stuck on the ground as the other CPUs closed on her, their wings increasing in size, glowing bright, lighting the dark, narrow, and desolate passageway.

But then Neptune saw hope in the distance, a drop-down gate. If she was fast enough, she could knock it down and block off further advancement of the other CPUs. White Heart sped up and attempted to batter Purple Heart's head in. Lucky for Purple Heart, she rolled just in time, grabbing a knife from the holster on her thigh, she threw the knife perfectly and cut the rope that was holding up the gate, she slid under it, just in time to make it across and block off access from the other CPUs.

"Goddamit! Thanks to you thunder tits, we lost her"

"How is it my fault? If I remember correctly, you were the one that botched up your swing"

"If you attacked her from behind instead of kicking me and trying to look cool, maybe we wouldn't have had to chase her!"

"I'm sorry I have style and grace, unlike you. A vulgar and profane brute"

"Vulgar and profane? Look at you, swinging around those knockers like a bag of bowling balls!"

"Excuse you, my bosom has been handcrafted through a series of well-maintained and healthy diets!"

"Bull-shit, I know you and your pathetic excuse of a country is the textbook definition of artificial and fake!"

"You have the audacity to call my figure a sign of illegitimacy?"

"Please, that was me being nice"

Purple Heart, long then abandoning the conversation ran to a distant light at the end of the tunnel. Purple Heart finds herself greeted to a silent, solemn, and dark sky. She stands among an edge with no railings, a breath-taking sight of Gamindustri. The lights among all the cities burning throughout the vast continent. Purple Heart feels another sharp pain and coughs up blood.

"Dammit, I need to get back to Histoire, I think the intelligence we got from here was rigged"

Purple Heart's country, Planeptune, was among the four countries that dominated Gamindustri. The CPUs were top dogs, most people wouldn't even dare to try and form a new country, but instead work off profits and investments from the four countries. The economic relations would lead to the invention of shares. The physical manifestation of the faith and reliance that a people hold for their CPU.

Purple Heart lays down and tries to turn on her wristwatch to call in an extraction, to her dismay, it appears it had broken during the fight.

"Well I'm all out of luck, maybe Histoire will send exfil out of concern.

"I wouldn't get cocky if I were you"

Purple Heart turns around to see a sight she feared the most. CPU Black Heart of Lastation. Her style composed of a darkened trench coat worn over her CPU armor. A scarf was tied to the back of her coat and a Lastation armband circled her left bicep. Her long white hair flowed smoothly behind her as she slowly walked toward Purple Heart. She unsheathed her Rapier which had the ability to transform into a long-barreled revolver. Her dexterity with guns and blades would be unmatched in all 4 sections of Gamindustri.

"I'm impressed that you managed to survive those two idiots. Nonetheless your time as CPU ends here"

"If it isn't the Gothic princess of Gamindustri, tell me, you and dad still having problems?"

"My family matters are irrelevant, not too dissimilar from your country. Its my job to put an end to your pathetic excuse of a nation once and for all"

"You can't kill a goddess unjustly, Black Heart. Besides, would it be honorable to kill an injured and unarmed opponent?"

"You're right, I can't kill you, but I can take your godhood."

"What? That's impossible!"

"It was, until now"

Black Heart was always a deceiver under the guise of an honorable knight. But what she planned to do what something unprecedented and unnatural. She summoned a scythe glowing with a red aura.

"Is that? Negative share energy?!"

"How is that possible, I thought that was only a myth, a rumor from the great crash!"

"It's still in the early stages of development, consider yourself a beta test Mrs. Purple"

Black Heart transforms her rapier into a revolver and fires multiple rounds, Purple Heart was too injured and tired to respond and takes a shot to her leg. She then collapses as Black Heart slowly walks towards her.

"Why, why do you refuse to gain power!?"

"Power? You mean mass industrialization?"

"The process does not matter only the result"

"Video games are meant to be enjoyed for the sake of entertainment. To be lauded as a form of artistic expression and- "

"Your idealistic fantasies are the prime reason your country suffers! The power of shares is much more valuable than your petty 'expression'"

"Black Heart, this world you want, a world where power is all that matters will only bring Gamindustri into darkness!"

"And yours won't? You want a world of stagnation. One dominated by myths and fairy tales. My Gamindustri will be one of Progress, expansion, power!"

"That's not what I want! I care about the consumer-"

"No, you care about your ego, I care about results, and the people will prosper, whether they like it or not!"

Black Heart Pulls up Purple heart by the Hair and stabs her straight through the chest. Purple Heart vomits a profuse amount of blood.

"Why… why are you so spiteful?"

"I've seen what happens when people like you try to prioritize their 'vision' and risk the wellbeing of their comrades and people"

Black Heart raises the negative share energy scythe and cut though Purple Hearts chest clean, stealing her CPU core.

"You don't deserve this"

Purple heart started to lose her power. Her CPU form started to degrade, she got smaller and her hair started to get shorter.

"In the end you are nothing more than a sad and pathetic child, clinging onto dreams and fantasies"

Purple Heart, the former goddess falls to her knees, a tear drops to the floor. Black Heart raises her foot to Purple Heart's head.

"Begone"

Purple Heart found herself falling, drifting into an endless abyss, she looks up to see Black Heart, changing her weapon back into her gun form.

"Goodnight"

She feels a hole rip open on the right side of her chest, a bullet stream passed through it and blood flies upward and litters the sky with red.

Purple Heart utters on last name to before she loses consciousness.

"Nep…. Gear…"


	2. Chapter 2: Panic Ensues

Chapter 2

It was a rough day for Compa at work, as a nurse, it was her job to deal with all the quest takers and hunters that suffered injuries during their travels. She took the same path to work every day, waking up from her small home isolated in the outskirts of Planeptune. She would put on her usual outfit and Heart shaped pursed around her neck, riding her bike for an hour-long trip, passing various lakes, hills, and fauna. When she arrived at work, she did the usual check in and greeted her co-workers. The manager of the clinic she worked at asked her to come over for a "special patient".

"Well Compa, let's just say that this person shouldn't exactly be alive"

"What? Why's that"

"She suffered multiple stabs wounds, bruises to her arms and legs, and a gunshot wound to the knee and chest"

"That's brutal, when did this happen?"

"We found her flowing down a lake, we barely pulled her out before she could end up further downstream. She refuses to say who was responsible for this."

"What's her name?"

"Neptune, that's what she told us"

"You sure I'm the best person for this?"

"You're a good kid Compa, you've also got a nice heart"

"Thank for noticing my purse"

"Not that you dolt, I think you can help empathize with patient, she's a young one also."

"Oh, poor kid. Well as my Grandpa always said, better reckless but young instead of ignorant and old"

Compa was impressed but also concerned about the patient hurried to infirmary to find this hard-boiled survivor. She expected some grizzled hardcore veteran hunter or adventurer. Only she found a small girl no taller than 4 feet and 8 inches. She had short frilly hair that was complimented by two d-pads on her head and wore a Planeptune hoodie and nothing else except bandages on places where she was injured. With an N marked on a small emblem that was used as a zipper. Her Hood strings looked like game plugs and wore a lace choker on her neck with a small N symbol on it, not different to the one on the zipper. The Mysterious Survivor turned to Compa and greeted her quite flirtatiously.

"Was poppin hot stuff~"

Compa was flattered by the statement, but knew she had a job to focus on. So she merely responded with a simple question.

"Are you feeling alright miss Neptune?"

"Whelp I got my ass kicked and I can barely move."

"Oh my, what happened?"

"Let's just say I'm going to be handicapped for a while"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, is there anything I can do to help?"

Compa lost track of how many times she had to repeat this phrase to every patient that suffered more than just basic injuries. In reality it had no effect or solace. It was almost a kneejerk response at this point.

"You could get me out of here."

"I'm not really able to do that, my manager would probably fire me. Besides, aren't you in some real pain? I've heard your injuries, no one casually survives an attack like that."

"Nah, I'll be fine. I more concerned about you, you look absolutely dead inside"

Compa turned to look at the nearby mirror to see her horrendous eyebags and unkept hair.

"Right, I woke up late and had to rush my way to the clinic, I live an hour away, so I get tired just getting here"

"An hour-long ride? That sounds awful Compa!"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not live in the city, it's too crowded and messy. There's also all the noise and ramblings, its really not good for the mind. I like to live in peace and quiet. I remember a phrase my grandpa used to say, 'if you can't live peacefully, don't live at all."

"Right…"

"So, are you sure you aren't feeling any pain what-so ever?"

"Nada, sorry to disappoint"

"Not at all, please continue to get better. If you need anything, here's my personal number."

Compa left the patients room to speak with the manager about this mysterious girl.

"She seemed perfectly fine, physically at-least"

"We were surprised too, we're thinking that maybe she is some superhuman or goddess"

"Oh please, why would a goddess end up at here of all places"

"Hell if I know, I want you to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do anything crazy."

"No problem boss"

Neptune, formerly purple heart, gazed at the window to the outside world. She didn't see much except for a couple trees and a small body of water.

"I hope Nepgear's okay."

Her younger sister, who ironically was taller than her, was Planeptune's CPU candidate. While not as strong as the leading CPU, she's able to lead the country fairly well and handle trivial matters with the country's oracle, Histoire. The oracle of a country managed how the CPU used their shares, the status of public relations, and negotiations with foreign countries.

"How'd I screw things up this badly?"

The job was suspicious at first, Histoire detected a spike in share readings in the celestian ruins. Purple Heart was desperate to increase Planeptune's standing in Gamindustri. Nepgear and Histoire begged her to not go. But Neptune was stubborn and desperate.

"I need to call home."

Neptune slowly raised herself out of bed and grabbed on to the I.V stand to support herself. She struggled to get to a nearby phone. Upon reaching one, she typed in a confidential number that issued a private line between Planeptune leaders on a cellular device.

"What was it again? Ah, 2, 2, 8, 8, 3, 5, 3, 5, 2, 2, call."

She knew she got the right number as a different jingle played instead of the usual dial up tone.

"Purple Heart! Where are you!"

"I got my ass kicked, I landed down on the edge of the city."

"I'll send Nepgear right away"

"Don't, it's not safe. Histoire, I don't how to tell you this, I lost my CPU form, I can't transform."

"What! It's not funny to joke around like that Neptune!"

"Its not, Black Heart Got ahold of some negative share energy- "

"Negative Share energy… that must have been what the reading was"

"She took my CPU core Histoire, I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Black Heart broke Gamindustri law! I'll have to speak to Lastation's oracle about this"

Gamindustri had some set-in-stone rules of combat and conquest, some implemented by the first goddess, some written by us. Black Heart had always been the shadiest of the bunch, she had very little to say about laws, and used loopholes and half-truths to manipulate things her way. Neptune knew this and realized that this predicament was not going to solve itself though diplomacy.

"Don't bother Histy, I'm going to take my form back"

"Neptune don't be so reckless, you can't fight if you're still injured"

"I'll work my way back up"

"Neptune, you were lucky enough to not perish during a battle against 3 CPUs"

Realizing that this conversation was going nowhere, Neptune hung up the call.

"Neptune are you listening to me? Don't han- "

"Sorry Histoire."

"Hey, you shouldn't be out of bed!"

Neptune realized that voice, it the same nurse that greeted her when after she woke up.

"Oh hey Compa, I was just making a call to a friend of mine"

"Clinic policy states that's you have to ask for assistance before going outside"

"Yeah, yeah whatever, I'll just go back to my roo- "

Neptune lost grip of the IV stand and fell down to the floor.

"Ah shit"

"Now look what happened miss Neptune, you hurt yourself!"

"I can see that you dolt!"

Compa lifted Neptune up and carried her to her room.

"I don't know what's going in your personal life, nor is it any of my business, but you need to focus on getting better, its my job to make sure that you rest up easy."

"I don't have time for this Compa! I need to leave"

"That can wait Neptu-"

A monstrous roar is hear from the main hall followed by the screaming, then silence. The sound caused an uproar among the patients in various rooms.

"What was that…"

Compa hurried to the door and looked out the small window to see the hallway covered in blood, a severed limb lay under the florescent light. Compa almost throws up, barely stopping herself.

"Compa! What's happening!"

A patient runs to the door, begging to get in.

"Let me in please! PLEASE! It's going to kill us all!

Only for a shadowy figure to appear behind him and insert a claw, decorated with human eyes, go through the back of his head, through his throat. He then got pinned down as the figure pulled and ripped him apart. Blood covered the lower part of the window as his screams of torture slowly dissipate.

Compa quickly grabs Neptune and cowers in fear in a corner that can't be seen from the window.

"Compa!"

Compa puts her hand on Neptune's Mouth as the door opens very slowly. A shadowy hand places itself on the edge of the door, then closes it.

Compa picks up her phone and calls for a friend.

"IF, please pick up!"

The only response would be a voicemail request.

"Sorry, I'm currently busy, please leave a message I won't read!"

"IF! You have to help, we need a ride far away from here!"

"Friend of yours?"

"She the only person I know that can get us out of here, my bike can't carry both of us."

Compa's phone rang again.

"Manager?"

"Compa, where are you?"

"I'm with Neptune in her room"

"Use the window to get out of here"

"What about you?"

"I grabbed a few patients and nurses, and barricaded ourselves into a room, but I don't think its going to hold for long!"

A crash is heard from the managers end of the phone call

"Oh god they're breaking in. Compa, get out of here now!"

Compa cries as she tries to respond

"I c-cc can't j-just leave you!"

Screams of fear from both patients and nurses echo from Compa's phone.

"I don't think… I don't think we're going to make it"

A louder crash is heard

"Compa please! Just grab Neptune and run!"

The same monstrous roar is heard again both from Compa's phone and from a distant room far from where she was.

"Oh my god they've broke through, run Compa!"

Sounds of evisceration and blood flowing, complimented by screams of agony echo through the halls.

Compa, whose face was covered in tears as she cried in fear, was then slapped by Neptune who was on her knees with her hand pushing of the wall to support her.

"Compa, you heard her, we need to get out of here, and I need you to carry me."

"O-okay, I will. I'll get us out of here"

Compa carried Neptune over her shoulder and vaulted over the window. She ran across the field and over a fence that separated the clinic from the forest. Fog assimilated in Compa's vision as she started to get colder and tired.

"Faster Compa! We don't know if they're still onto us!

"I'm trying Nep, I really Am!"

The same monstrous roar is heard again. Galloping from a distance, a shadowy beast draws closer.

A ring from Compa's phone echoes through the night.

"I'll answer it Compa!"

Neptune pulled a pink flip-phone out of Compa's heart purse and puts the phone on speaker.

"Compa, did you call me earlier? What the hell was that message"

"Are you IF?"

"What the!? who's this?"

"Friend of Compa's! Hurry and bring your car down to-"

"Hold on, who are you?! Why do you have Compa's phone?"

"Please just drive to us, my phone's location should be on right now"

"Compa what the hell is happening!"

"Were running for our lives doofus, just drive to us."

The monster drew closer and closer to Neptune and Compa, its growling and stampeding only increasing in volume.

"I got an idea!"

Neptune switched to Compa's camera with the flash on and pointed it at the monster's direction

"Say cheese asshole!"

A bright flash covers the forest behind them and the monster screams in agony.

"Nice!"

The monster howls and runs faster towards them

"Not nice! Not nice!"

Compa looks forward and sees two bright lights in front of her.

"Oh goodness!"

She dives to her right, causing her and Neptune to fall to the side of the road, the car swerves and hits the monster, launching it far back.

"IF!"

Compa drags Neptune and puts her in the back seat and enters the passenger seat.

"Compa, what the hell was that!"

"Don't worry about it, get us out of here!"

IF smashes the gas and the car zooms forward, tires screeching across the paved road.

IF turns took Compa, sobbing in tears, her sweater covered in mud with scars across her legs.

"Compa, what the hell happened!"

Compa could barely compose herself, let alone respond. She was shaking intensely, and her pupils contracted. IF patted her back, in an attempt to calm her down.

"Who's she?"

"I'm Neptune, I was a patient at the Clinic, Compa talked to me shortly before the chaos started"

"What the hell happened in there?!"

"Some THING attacked the Clinic; my best bet is that a monster broke through the share barrier. The Clinic would probably be one of the first places since they're near the border"

"Dammit! I heard reports about monsters possibly being in the area, there's also reports of a missing guild team that headed out in this area. That's why I decided to patrol the outskirts. The barrier is starting to break, I need to get this news to the basilicom, chances are, the monsters aren't going to stop at the clinic, ALL of Planeptune is in danger."

IF continues to drive in the silent until a very similar galloping is heard again. Compa hears it first and starts to scream as she curls up.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE DAMMIT!"

"Compa what the hell!?"

The same monster caught up to the car and jumped onto the hood.

"Shit!"

IF's cursed and quickly ducked, dodging a devasting punch which shatters glass all over the driver seat. She punches the glove compartment and pulls out a handgun. Firing multiple rounds into the beast's chest, the beast slapped the gun out of IF's hand, Neptune managed to grab the gun just in time. The beast raised it body, as multiple human-like arms with teeth in palms of each hand, protruded from its chest. Each hand grabbed the side of the vehicle and lifted it into the air. The sight surely scarred Compa and IF. Luckily Neptune had already put her sights on the Monsters skull, firing three rounds to the right side of its head. The Monster flinched back and dropped the vehicle behind him, causing it to land up-side-down.

"Everyone get out now!"

IF carried Neptune as Compa ran along to the nearest form of civilization they could find.

Author's Note: Yeah yeah yeah, seems pretty un-neptune like to have all the chaos B.S go on. But I wanted to establish the struggles that the human characters such as IF and Compa deal with and how Neptune, formerly a goddess, now has to struggle with them. I didn't want Neptune to get her HDD form quickly as it would ruin both tension and character development even if it causes the first couple chapters to feel like a drag.


	3. Chapter 3: The Hunt

Chapter 3

They came across an abandoned gas station, moss covered the sign and all the gas dispensers.

"Finally, I can get some signal here, I'll call some of my friends at the guild, they'll get us a ride out of here"

IF set down Neptune at a booth next to the entrance Compa sat down at the same booth, she stopped crying and the quivering slowed down a little bit. IF sat down next to her and comforted her.

"It's all right Compa, I'm sure we've lost the big guy"

"What am I going to do IF?"

"Compa this isn't the time to be worrying. We need to focus on surviving the night."

IF searches through the place and uncovers a trap door to a basement.

"Hey Nep, does my handgun still have bullets?"

"Are you going down the spooky basement? At a time like this!? That's how every stupid character in a horror movie died!"

"I agree with Neppy, IF if you don't come back Nep and I will be alone without anyone to defend us! We don't even know if the basement is safe, if anything in this area is"

"We'll be fine girls, I highly doubt the big bastard is up for a fight after we messed up its face"

Neptune ejected the magazine and checked how many rounds were inside the clip.

"You got one shot"

Neptune tossed the handgun to IF in a way careless but stylish fashion.

"I'll take it"

IF, gun in hand, made her way down the steps of the ladder.

A burst of light came from IF's hand as she turned on the flashlight of her cellphone.

"If anyone's in here I don't mean any harm"

She walked forward as drops of dew fell from the ceiling.

"Is it ordinary for a gas stop to have a basement like this?"

Suddenly, IF could hear footsteps approach her from behind. She quickly turned around just in time to see a sword swinging down against her, she backflipped just in time to dodge it, receiving only a minor cut to her leg. Trying to get ahold over her bearings, she points the flashlight toward the assaulter, getting a brief glimpse of the target before having to dodge again, a swipe approaching from the her left causes IF jump precisely enough to land on top of the enemies blade and jump off of it to land behind them, upon landing she turned quickly a pointed her gun at the enemy's head, the enemy had their sword at IF's neck. Locked in a stalemate, IF raises her flashlight to see a woman with red hair, she wore a blue jacket and had an exposed midriff. Her stockings went up to her thighs and her hands were marked with blood and bruises.

"Who are you?"

"Who's asking?"

"The name's IF, I don't want to hurt you, but you're the one who attacked me first."

"I don't know how many hours it's been, all I know is that I can't trust anyone!"

"Why? What happened? Why are you alone in here?"

"How can I trust you?"

IF moves her phone and points it at her face and gun-holding hand. She drops her weapon as a sign of peace. The mysterious girl lowers her sword as well. Revealing a badge.

"Wait a sec! I know that badge, you're the group that was found missing a while ago! You must be the leader, Falcom."

"And you must be part of the international Guild, of course you'd be one of the first that would be sent to find people like me"

"That's part of our Job, again, what the hell happened to you? Where's the rest of your crew?"

"Some beast attacked us, it had multiple arms and its claws had eyes. When He killed one of us, his chest opened, and inside there was… there was"

Falcom could barely contain herself she quickly and vomited

"You don't need to tell me anymore, me and my friends upstairs encountered the monster, but it didn't open its chest. Another friend of mine also lost friends because of it"

"I can't fight that thing, I don't think anyone can"

"Well doubting ourselves isn't going to get us anywhere. Lets just focus on getting back to the inner city and we'll regroup and prepare ourselves."

"Even if we leave exactly at dawn, we wont even make it halfway to the city"

"Then we'll just have to stall the bastard."

Neptune ejected the magazine and checked how many rounds were inside the clip.

"You got one shot"

"I'll take it"

IF, Gun in hand, made her way down the steps of the ladder.

Neptune looked toward Compa who showed signs of nervousness

"I really hope IF will be safe down there"

"She's part of the international Guild, they don't let you for nothing"

"I guess your right, still, I really wish we could just get out of here"

"I do too, I still have unfinished business"

Neptune got out of her seat and limped her way to the back of the station

"Wait Nep, where are you going? You can't walk on your own like that!"

Neptune was heard scrambling through boxes and scavenging various items, Compa could see a few boxes fly out the room as Neptune continued to search.

"Nep… what are you searching for?"

Neptune exited room as the clanking of bottles could be heard coming closer.

"Ah, good ol whiskey, I was hoping that this place would have some left."

"Nep… are even old enough to drink?"

"Of course! Every Friday I would have a glass with my friend Hist-, uhm"

"Hist?"

"Yeah, Hist! Weird name I know by she's real smart, also real small"

"I don't know how I feel about two small girls drinking whiskey"

"Ah its fine Compa, here, have a glass, it'll cool you down for the night."

Compa took the whiskey and examined it, it appeared to have aged but not been opened, the words "Goddess Incarnate" were written on the back.

"I guess I could really use something to take off the edge, interesting brand by the way. I wonder who manufactured this."

"Nobody I've heard of, maybe it's a home-made special"

"It's got some pretty damn-good looking detail. Just as my grandpa would say, if you're going to make something, why not make it absurdly attractive"

"Your Grandpa is a very peculiar person, Compa."

Compa opened the bottle and took a tiny sip. It tasted very strong and made her nauseous. Half-disgusted, and half-discombobulated she found herself amazed as she saw Neptune downing an entire bottle at a rapid rate.

"Umm Nep?"

Neptune slammed the glass against the table and let out a major sigh of relief.

"I miss my sister"

"Your sister huh? Lucky you, I happened to be an only-child growing up."

"Oh yeah, my little sister is a sweet one. Wouldn't harm a mushroom. She has nice hair, real soft and smooth. Also a real affinity for machines and tech. Hell she's the only person that can manage the place. I aint exactly Einstein with technology so I usually just rely on her whenever something got broken or dismantled. What about you Compa, anyone you rely on?"

"Well there's Iffy, she's a real nice. Although she can be kind of tough sometimes. I guess working for the International guild will do that to you."

"When did you two first meet?"

"Ah, it was a long time ago, a little bit after my 23rd birthday. I was riding my way to work as usual when suddenly a herd of dogoos stampeded through the road."

"Dogoos? C'mon Compy those things can barely take a chip of your health"

"They're scary though, they're so weird and slimy-"

"Can't wait till the internet uses this for 'material'"

"Anyways, after the herd passed, my bike broke and I could barely get up. I was covered in slime and couldn't pull myself off the ground. If IF didn't happen to be driving by. I probably would've lost my job. After work, IF even took me out for coffee and managed to get my bike fixed, I didn't have pay for anything! After that we started seeing each other every week. Sometimes it was planned, other times it was a coincidence."

"Do you have any feelings~ for miss IF, Compa?"

Blood immediately rushed to Compa's head, her face turned red and she blushed intensely

"No! nononono no! it's not like that! She's just been a real caring friend for me."

As Compa said this she realized that she was pushing her index fingers together and her legs were crossed, not too different from the love-struck tsunderes that she had seen in anime and video games. Neptune looked at her with a smug know-it-all face.

"All right Compa, I'm suuuuuuuure that you're 'just' friends with IF"

"Stop teasing me Nep-Nep!"

The conversation would then be interrupted by IF and Falcom exiting the trapdoor and emerging behind the counter.

"Woah! IF, who's that?"

"Her name's Falcom, she's the leader of the hunting party that went missing awhile back."

Compa waves to the red-headed tank and offers her a glass of whiskey.

"What the? Where the hell did you guys find whiskey?"

"Neppy found it in the back, we think it was homemade."

"Wait, Neppy found it? She hasn't been drin-"

Neptune immediately let out a visible burp before IF could finish her question.

"Compa! You let the kid drink alcohol!?"

"Nep said she was old-enough"

"And you BELIEVED her!?"

"There's no proof saying she isn't old enough. Hell, I don't exactly look like the prime definition of adulthood"

"W-w www what? That's not how that works Compa!"

Falcom cleared her throat as a way to divert the course of the conversation. Everyone stood silent and set their attention on her.

"The monster that attacked us is still roaming the area. Dawn starts in 30 minutes, so he'll have to find shade to prevent being burned. That gives us time to get IF's car and repair it. In the meantime we need to find a way to stall the monster and give us time to escape."

"We can't just leave right now?"

"We won't make it back to the inner city in time before the sun sets."

"Is there anything in this station that can help us?"

"Nothing, unless you want the monster to drink itself to death"

IF stared at the whiskey glass suspiciously, she walked forward quickly and grabbed the glass out of Compa's hand.

"Hey Iffy!"

IF examined the bottle, she read the words on the back and her eyebrow raised sharply.

"Wait a second, this brand of whiskey has been banned in all four sections of Gamindustri!"

Compa spit out her drink immediately and grabbed IF by the collar of her dress.

"What! No! IFFY! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO JAIL!"

"Calm down you numbskull, I'm not going to arrest you for something stupid like this!"

IF pushed Compa back down to her seat walked to the end of the room she poured down some of the whiskey on the floor, making a fairly-sized trail. She pulled out her lighter and lit her end of the trail. The resulting flame was massive and melted the nearby furniture. Neptune found herself in awe of the scorching fire that erupted from the floor.

"Holy Nep, what the hell is that stuff"

IF and Falcom took off their jackets and started to pat down the fire.

"Just as I expected. This 'goddess incarnate' brand is extremely flammable!"

Falcom grabbed the empty bottle and smashed it against the counter top.

"And it can easily be broken, this stuff just might come in handy"

IF then ran outside to check on the gas pumps.

"Look at that! These pumps still have some fuel left in them!"

Neptune approached IF from behind.

"Okay so we're blowing this thing up, but how are we going to detonate the explosion?"

IF pulled out her handgun and ejected the magazine

"I got one shot at it"

The entire gang went to the scene where IF's car landed. To their surprise it seemed in good shape

The entire gang went to the scene where IF's car landed. To their surprise it seemed in good shape, for a car that was turned over and smash multiple times. Unfortunately none of them were exactly mechanics.

"It's as bad as we thought."

Falcom tried to turn the car over to no success. Iffy and Compa tried to join in but their strength combined could only lift the car a very small amount.

"Goddamit!"

IF kicked the car at an incredible speed, causing the car alarm to go off.

"Iffffy! Turn it off, it hears my ears"

Compa's whining would anger IF even more and she kicked the car again, causing the engine to turn off.

"Well that solved nothing, you gals got any ideas?"

"If only Vert was here, she'd probably flip the car over at the push of a button."

"You know Lady Vert, Nep-Nep?"

Neptune knew she couldn't risk revealing her identity as a CPU to her companions just yet. She didn't know why she had to reference Lady Vert, maybe it was because she longed for her previous life, battling and debating with the other goddesses. She wasn't used to being in human form for so long. Relying on other humans and having her life at stake.

"I visited Leanbox once, real nice place I tell ya, annoying children though. **Very** annoying children."

"Well unless lady Vert were to swoop in from the sky and save us random group of adventurers, this conversation isn't really going to get us anywhere."

Falcom looked at her sword and pushed it against her ground. The well-crafted structure of it prevented it from bending on the ground.

"Hey guys, I think I could prop my sword under the car as you guys try and push it up."

IF and Compa looked at each-other and nodded.

Falcom, IF, Neptune, and Compa, with all their strength pushed up IF's car to the highest they could. Falcom then let go and placed the sword between the edge of the car door, and the ground. The car wriggled in place but still managed to stay in the air.

"Hell yeah!"

Neptune jumped in the air out of excitement only to land back down and hurt herself again.

"Ah shit"

Compa picked up Neptune and carried her damsel-style and rocked her back and forth.

"Aw geez Nep-Nep, you hurt yourself! No more jumping out excitement."

"Put me down Compa! I'm not a little baby!"

Falcom cleared her throat

"We're not out of the woods yet, literally, we still need to push the rest of the car fowar-"

The crew immediately heard a similar galloping coming from the woods. Compa dropped Neptune and curled up against the propped-up car. Clenching her head, she started to scream intensely. Her pupils contracted just like before and her skin turned pale. Neptune crawled her way to Compa and tried to calm her down.

"THE NIGHTMARE NEVER ENDS NEPTUNE! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS!?"

Falcom and IF continue to push the car forward, making minimal process as the galloping increased in size and intensity.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE NEP, I DON'T WANT TO-"

Neptune slapped Compa against the cheek again.

"If you don't want to die then help us push the god damn car!"

As Falcom and IF struggled to push up the car, Compa stood up and roundhouse kicked it, causing it to land back in-place and inadvertently started the engine.

"Holy shit!"

"Everyone get in!" Yelled Falcom

The crew all got in, Neptune was carried by Compa, and put in the backseat with Falcom. IF pulled turned the ignition and smashed the accelerator. They turned around just in time to see the shadowy figure staring at them from a distance. Compa put her head over the window and vomited whatever little she had left in her out of anxiety. As she turned to look behind her, a tightening sensation corrupted Compa's stomach as she saw the same beast grapple onto the car.

"Do your worst bastard!" Falcom yelled as she cut away at the various arms that attached itself to the car. Compa curled up again and shook her head. Neptune grabbed one of the beast's arms and pulled at it, a she did, what Falcom and her could barely see was the small parts of a shoulder and neck emerging from the body. The beast roared louder than ever before as hundreds upon thousands of arms emerged from its stomach and chest. Falcom swung in every direction she could, Neptune could barely stand up to defend herself.

"IF! We have to help them!" Yelled Compa as she panicked helplessly as the two were assaulted by demonic limbs. IF turned the car off the path and drove under a bridge which had an underneath tunnel that was just big enough for the car to fit but small enough to have the beast slam itself against the side of the bridge. The teeth of the arms hung onto the back end of the car.

"Falcom!" IF didn't even need to yell before the red-headed hunter would start hacking away at the numerous mandibles. But a distant voice called to Falcom, she dropped her sword and looked forward. The sight caused her to slowly start walking toward the beast.

"What the hell is she doing?!" IF yelled back as she pushed her foot against the gas as hard as she could in order to keep the car from being dragged backwards. Neptune pulled Falcom away and picked up her blade, chopping at the limbs which bled a corrosive acid that spawned uneven holes and gaps onto the surface.

"Faster Neptune!" Compa yelled as she tried to calm down Falcom, who was seizing up at the floor of the car. Neptune could barely swing any longer. Her attacks started to get slower and less effective, and more limbs started to pull at the car. "Falcom! What the hell happened!" Falcom's pupils contracted and she started to scream into the ground

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT DAMMIT, I DIDN'T GET THEM KILLED, I FUCKING SWEAR I DIDN'T". Tears started to smack against the ground, Neptune couldn't stand upright for much longer. Compa curled up and IF started to hit a jab at the steering wheel "Faster dammit! Faster!" But alas, the car continued to have itself dragged backwards.

"IF! What are we going to do!?" Yelled the frightened nurse. IF looked back and saw Neptune who was about to collapse out of exhaustion. "Dammit" the distressed brunette yelled. "Compa, keep your foot on the gas, I'll help out Neppy!"

IF pushed Neptune back down to her seat and grabbed Falcom's sword, she readied herself "here goes nothing" and chucked it at the beast's chest. The monster absorbed the sword also let go of its arms, causing the car to jet forward, IF barely managed to sit back down in the car while Compa peddled to the metal.

"Jesus Christ, that was too close!" IF said as she slumped her head against the dashboard of the beaten car. Compa's arms were still shaking with intensity as she held onto the steering wheel, still in shock after the attack that just occurred. It took them 15 minutes to reach the Gas station again.

Falcom drove the car to the back in order to repair it. Neptune started to bring out all the flammable whiskey and set it up next to the gas pump. IF and Compa sat in a booth together. Compa buried her face into IF's jacket as she cried profusely.

"It's going to be fine Compa, we managed to escape him again, and when he crawls his ugly ass here, we'll have him trapped for sure."

"How do you do it?" Asked Compa

"Do what?"

"How do manage to stay so calm and confident while we could die any second?"

IF looked away from Compa and stared at the ceiling. Her back was sore, and her legs felt tired. She turned back to Compa and patted her head.

"I'm just as scared as you are Compa, but I have a responsibility to take care of you"

"You do?"

IF realized how awkward she just sounded.

"Well- I mean- you're an important person to me and, I just-"

IF turned to her right to see Neptune peeking her head smugly grinning.

"Get outta here ya lil runt we're having a moment here!"

Neptune giggled as she walked back into the garage.

"Anyways Compa, I want you trust me, I can't have you panicking in a situation like that again. Though I must admit, you have one hell of a kick."

"I understand Iffy, after what happened at the clinic though, I can get those thoughts out of my head. Its eyes still burn into my memories"

IF wrapped her arms around Compa's body and nestled her head into Compa's hair.

"Just stay with me Compa, stay with me… we'll get out of this together.

Falcom opened the hood of IF's car and swiped her hand in the air to push away all the smog that emerged from the engine.

"Get outta here ya lil runt we're having a moment here!" yelled IF from the other room."

Neptune entered the garage and jumped back-first into the car and rested on her hands which she put behind her head.

"How's the car kickin Falcon?"

"It's FalCOM not Falcon. The car's busted but I think I can make something work."

"You a mechanic or something?" Asked Neptune as she tilted her head to face Falcom

"It was never my desired profession but when you start traveling Gamindustri cramped in a truck with 15 other people. The damn thing ought a break down every now and en'. And when your party is full of idiots and ego filled morons who go on about prophecies and ancient mysticisms, the group's going to need someone who can fix the damn truck."

A burst of flames erupted from the engine, Falcom dodging it barely.

"That didn't sound good, said Nep sarcastically"

"Of course its not good ya nitwit"

Neptune got up stood next to Falcom and examined all the machines and parts that connected each-other.

"The fact that this thing could even drive for as long as it did still surprises me."

"IF does work for the international guild. I guess even she could afford some high-end stuff"

Falcom turned to look at Neptune, only now realizing how weird her outfit was. Her purple hair was already an eye raiser, but she also was wearing a hoodie that she had never seen before, as well as two D-pads on her head. And nothing else except for a couple bandages.

"Hey Neptune, sorry to ask this at such a weird time. But who are you exactly?"

"I'm going to need a helluvalot more specific question than that"

"Well how old are you"

"Physically or mentally?

"The fuck? Physically"

"Roughly 48 years"

"Eh, I've seen worse, mentally?"

"Eh, give me a solid 14."

"That's a great combination, what school did you go to?"

"Never had one, I'm illiterate"

Falcom stood in both awe and perplexity at this bewildering child that stood before her.

"Parents?"

"Dead, old age"

"Siblings?"

"I got a cute younger sister"

Falcom realized this child wasn't going your average naïve schoolgirl.

"Combat experience?" Falcom asked purely out of curiosity and just for the hell of it.

"Mostly katanas, broadswords, and handguns. I've been practicing my own personal style for a couple years"

"Woah, a sword-master _and_ gunslinger?"

"Oh don't make me blush too much. I'm not exactly the best in my own league of competition. I just manage to make by and defend the people that I care about."

"An unsung hero eh?" Falcom had heard about this archetype before. The noble but humble hero who fights for those he cares about, things like material gain matter nothing in the face of an honest do-gooder.

"Oh please, I wouldn't give myself **that** much credit. But I supposed it has some credibility. Besides, I have a bit of beef with someone. They took something from me and dropped me here"

"I imagine that's where your bandages come from?"

"Yup, it wasn't a pleasant battle, but I survived for another day. I've got a score to settle with that son of a bitch. And when I get to her next, I'll Nep em up!"

" _Nep_ them up?" Falcom says in a sarcastic tone.

"You betcha."

"You're indeed one peculiar girl". Falcom thought to herself

"Sooo, you said you're skilled with broadswords, right?" Asked Falcom

Neptune nodded and limped over to Falcom and picked up a long steel pipe that stood next to her. She stepped out in the sunlight in did some basic, but well performed swings. It was the least she could do with her damaged leg.

"Maybe when your leg gets patched up, me and you could have a duel, I'd be curious to see how that'd turn out. "Falcom! Neppy!" IF yelled from the dining area.

The two sat down next to Compa while IF leaned on the counter with her arms crossed and a smirk across her face. "Wow, look at you Iffy, leaning all high and mighty like you got a plan to get us out of here. You have a plan, right?" Asked the frilly haired CPU. "All-right, here's what we'll do. The Car has enough fuel to get us back to the city, so we won't need to use any of the gas here."

Falcom crossed her arms as well and turned to IF, leaning her back on the window. "I got you, so how are we going to get that big bastard next to the gas tank?" IF sighed in frustration "That's the problem, we need someone to distract him, while someone else rams him into the gas tank with the car, is there anyone here annoying enough to focus the monsters aggression on them?" Compa, Falcom, and IF all turned to Neptune, who turned her head in confusion. "What now?"


	4. Chapter 4: Showdown

Chapter 4:

"Your idealistic fantasies are the prime reason your country suffers! The power of shares is much more valuable than your petty 'expression'"

Black Heart's words rang throughout Neptune's head as she slept on the roof of the gas station. Compa, IF, and Falcom were sleeping in the basement, meanwhile, Neptune's leg started to ease up a bit.

"Tch… I've got a score to settle with that sonuva nep!"

"Sonuva Nep? Really?"

Neptune, shocked, jolted upward, IF approached her from behind, her green eyes almost shining under the moonlight.

"IF! What are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Nepper-"

"Ay! Nepper Is our word, you can call us Neppa"

"What the fu- anyway, I just went up here to clear my head. I couldn't get a call back from the guild, which can only mean one thing"

"Really huh? Shoot."

"Chances are, someone's jamming the signal, a human most definitely. But why the hell would they be doing that?"

Neptune pushed herself off the ground and stared up at the moon with her hands on her hips. "Lastation… it's gotta be them."

IF almost dropped the cigarette she was about to light. "Lastation? What the hell do they have to do with this?"

"IF, you aren't going to believe me, but-"

"Kid, I've worked in the guild for almost my entire life, and I've seen some of the most ridiculous shit that would make you-"

"I'm the goddess of Planeptune…"

IF then completely dropped her cigarette, then she let out a small chuckle and waved her hand back at me.

"Yeah, whatever you say Neppa"

"Its true! I mean, I can't transform, but I really am the goddess of Planeptune!"

"Is that so? You're the goddess of Planeptune, yet conveniently you can't transform. All-right, sure."

"You gotta believe me! Black Heart from Lastation took my CPU form and-"

"Took your CPU form? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what negative share energy is right? The same energy that was produced from the animosity trigger left by the Chaos CPU of Tari?"

"I've heard of it, you're not trying to say that Lastation has access to that? That stuff isn't even confirmed to exist. Wait… actually, you might be onto something. That monster that's after us, that's not something that simply just spawns from nature, that has to be something man-made. Natural monsters, at least of that caliber, tend to hide in caves or shadowy places during the day… yet he went out of its way to attack us"

"So you believe me, right?"

"Tch, I _might_ be suspicious of Lastation, but I sure as hell don't believe that you're a CPU. When we hopefully get back to inner Planeptune, I'll need to check with my comrades as the guild, see what they can muster up."

Neptune slumped against the air-conditioning unit and started to doze off, IF sat on top of it and lit her cigarette, staring at the bright moon.

"I'll get us out of here Compa, don't worry."

 _~The Next Day~_

Falcom started up the car, IF stood atop the roof of the gas station with a makeshift flare gun. Neptune stood as decoy for the gas station, who had a rope tied around her, at the other end of the rope was Compa who was supposed to pull Neptune away before the beast could attack.

"All, everyone ready"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Um, no" cried Neptune as she clung onto a gas dispenser out of fear.

"All right! Then let's get started!"

Phrreeeeeeem*

The red flare shot into the sky, as if a race were about to begin. A race for their lives. It wouldn't be long before they heard the same familiar stampeding they had once heard before. Neptune noticed a slight trembling on the rope around her, Compa, on the other end was shivering intensely. Could you blame her?

The volume and intensity of the beast arrival increased rapidly by the second. IF readied her handgun with her sole bullet.

"Falcom! Start the car!"

"Got it!"

The nearby trees started to rustle, birds flew away from their nest by the hundreds. Then, a blur of black rose from the bushes and jumped at Neptune.

"COMPA!"

The nurse pulled intensely at the trope the impact almost rupturing Neptune's stomach through sheer force. The beast fell onto the gas dispenser leaking gasoline everywhere, the monster stood back up and limped its way toward the CPU and the nurse. But before he could continue his menacing meandering, Falcom drove up behind the beast with a bottle of whiskey, and slammed the glass bottle against its forehead, leaking the highly flammable whiskey all over the beasts face. The towering monstrosity flailing its arms out of confusion and rage.

"Nep! Take this!"

IF dropped a lighter down from the roof to Neptune.

"C'mon Nep! I got faith in you, you can do this!"

The words of praise from Compa echoed throughout Neptune's soul. Such words created a sense of familiarity and relief she hadn't felt in a while. She was a goddess, she needed faith from the people, and Compa gave her just that.

Falcom was driving the car back and forth to avoid the beast's attacks. Only for the monster to jump directly onto of the hood and open its chest. Revealing the horribly mutilated faces of Falcom's late party members. All of them had been consumed inside the monster, their arms protruding from the beast chest, with claws in their palms. Falcom could do all but naught. Until a flash of purple darted across her vision and lit up the monsters face.

"Get smoked you shitty Dead SpaceTM reject!"

The monster arched up its body and screamed with such intensity that almost blew out Neptune and Falcom's ear drums, the latter being knocked unconscious.

Neptune's vision grew hazy from the monstrous scream, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. When her vision came to, she was directly eye-to-eye with the monstrosity. It's skull exposed due to the ignition from Neptune.

"C…PU"

"That thing can fucking talk?" IF ran up to the beast and dropkicked its side to no effect. The beast simply picked her up and threw her back.

"Purple… Heart…"

"That's right mother fucker… and I've got whole lot of faith to expel!" Turning to Compa and winking at her. Neptune raised her hand in the air, using what little shares she had, she summoned a crude wooden katana (something her lack of shares would only allow her to do) and struck down at the beast to some effect, causing it to drop Neptune back down to the hood of the car.

"Compa! IF! Get in the car. Falcom!" Neptune then engaged combat with the hulking monstrosity, despite her injured leg. She still managed to dodge the seemingly inexorable endless flurry of swings. Readying herself, she baited the monster for a devastating parry. As the towering beast swung downward at the petite CPU, its arm flung back ward causing its entire bodying to step back and collapse down onto the gas dispenser, leaking dark fluid everywhere.

The red-headed adventurer still lay in the driver seat unconscious of her surroundings. IF pushed her aside to the passenger seat while Compa jumped into the back. "Nep! Get in!" IF yelled.

But before Neptune could step away from the Beast, one of its arms sprouted from it's chest and grabbed Neptune by the chest, pulling her closer into the monstrosity. Neptune's fingers grew bloody from being dragged against the asphalt ground. She then found herself halfway inside the monsters chest-mouth. The beast's claws pierced through Neptune's hands as she tried to push them away from her and simultaneously tried to pull herself up and away from the beast's insides.

"Nep-Nep!" Compa screamed.

"Dammit! IF! Take the shot!"

"What? Neptune you're…"

"Do it!"

IF prepared the handgun with her single bullet. But she started to grow hazy, staying up for multiple nights and having very little food to eat, she could barely muster up the strength to stand, let alone aim her handgun and fire.

"IF… let me help you…"

Before IF could collapse out of exhaustion, Compa supported her from behind and and the handgun in her hand as well. With their combined strength, they aimed the handgun at the gas dispenser and fired. Creating a massive – almost atomic – explosion that covered the visible sky in a cacophony of red and orange.

"Nep-Nep… if only there was a-"

"Wait! Hold on! I can hear something coming closer…"

Small footsteps padded forward, from the raging dust and vermillion cloud emerged a certain purple haired CPU. Most of her clothes got burned and charred, only leaving scarred bandagws to cover Neptune's womanhood.

"You didn't think something petty like that would kill me, did you?"

"Neptune!"

"Nep-Nep!"

The two girls ran down and hugged the girl causing all three of them to get knocked down to the ground. Neptune brushed past the two girls and stood back up.

"C'mon guys… let's head back to the basilicom."

"Wait! Neptune! You really are Planeptune's goddess. Aren't you?" IF ran up and held Neptune's hand from behind.

Neptune turned around and smiled back at IF before entering the backseat of the car with Compa.

"That girl sure is one mystery." IF hopped in the driver seat and drove away.

After a good while, they had escaped the forest and found themselves on a vast plain of grass, and in the very distance, you could see the out wall of Planeptune, and the Planeptune tower itself, almost piercing into the sky. IF turned to her left to see the sun rise in the distance, as if it was signaling a new day and ending the nightmare they had been enduring.

"I guess that's that…"

 **End of Act 1.**


	5. Chapter 5: Iris Grip

Act 2: Iris Depredation.

Chapter 5:

Histoire, dashed down the halls of Planeptune's basilicom. Dodging maids and janitors – who occasionally cursed as Histoire would accidentally knock something over - left and right, between the legs and just above head, she darted down toward Planeptune's garage, where a certain CPU candidate would be occupied.

Histoire used her personal interface that was attached to the tome she was floating on to open the sealed doors to the garage. The doors opened up to the sound of fading machinery, just now being turned off. The room barely had any light except for a faint lamp that stood in the very corner of the room. The place was originally meant to be used as a storage for Planeptune armada of vehicles. But due to Planeptune's collapse from the Dark CPU many years ago, Planeptune's military faded, now being outsourced to volunteering civilians and grassroot-based organizations. Nowadays the garage is used by Planeptune's CPU candidate who uses the space to work on various machines, usually robots that could perform some basic actions as well as some automatic machinery used for Planeptune's factories across the country.

As Histoire slowly floated down the isles of scrap and spare parts. Each piece of metal that covered the shelves losing their color and luster. A shadowing figure, appeared at the end of the isle, just silhouetted by Histoire's tome that faintly shined in the room.

"Histoire… what did I say about interrupting me unless it's an emergency?"

"Excuse me Nepgear… but I'm afraid it _is_ an emergency. It's your sister, Neptune. She-"

"Don't care. She can handle herself." The Candidate immediately started to walk back to her work, only for Histoire to fly right behind her and pull on her collar with the full force of her miniature body.

"Please Nepgear! She lost her HDD form and is stranded in the outskirts of Planeptune!"

"Lost her HDD form huh? Good, she can finally stop bragging about having one in my face."

"Please take this seriously Nepgear and set aside whatever petty disagreements you have with her. This is a dire time for Planeptune's history, and we're still recovering from what Uzume did…"

"I already said I don't care. Get someone at the guild to put a request for it and stop bothering me!"

"Unbelievable! Nepgear! This is your family! Can't you realize what's at stake here? If your sister dies… then the entire country of Planeptune will fall."

"Tch, stop over-exaggerating. We'll be fine with or without her."

"I can't believe you'd waste your time working on these pointless automatons instead of working for your country!"

"Can you get off my fucking back you old hag!?"

Histoire simply jolted back from the insult. *Hmph!* she pouted and left the room in a fit.

Nepgear slumped back down onto her rolling chair and spun it around out of boredom.

"What the hell am I even doing here…?"

Picking up the nearby wrench, she continued to work on her machine as If the conversation beforehand had not even happened.

 _~Neptune's Room~_

"Please, there must be something here than can help me! Ah! There!"

Histoire found a Neptune's spare flip phone – a memento from a much older time – and checked what contacts she could find. To her dismay, there was naught but names Histoire could not recognize.

"*Sigh*, I guess I'll just have to rely on that high reward bounty I set up at the guild."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that lil missy~"

Histoire couldn't even turn around all the way before being grabbed and slammed against the wall, being held up by a single hand. She could barely turn around to see the perpetrator, only making out some distinct features.

"Why? Who are you?" Histoire's miniature body had no chance to escape against the hand that had a grip on almost her entire body.

"Ah, ah, ah. Sorry hag, I'll be asking the questions this time around~"

"I'll never tell you anything!"

"That's too bad, looks like I'll just have to take you up to Lastation then~"

"Using tillies at the end of your sentence doesn't make you sound sexy or cute you pretentious fiend!"

"Geez, Noire wasn't kidding about you being a hassle."

*Click-Click*

"Drop the hag before you'll have to start giving the fairy buckshot instead of teeth!"

Nepgear, who had just entered the room at the opposite end, slowly approached the intruder with a lever shotgun.

The only response the candidate got was a small chuckle, followed by "Geez, was _that_ the best one-liner you could come up with?"

The invader, who was hidden in the shadow, merely silhouetted by Histoire's glow, emerged in front of Nepgear, towering over her. The sight of such a fearsome woman struck fear into Nepgear. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. A CPU? "It can't be" she thought to herself. The woman's Iris hair and eyes emanated a sense of dread and fear. Her armor(?) consisted of skin tight carapace which formed around the body, giving the appearance of a brutal femme fatale.

"Didn't think the the basilicom started hiring prostitutes. Geez Histoire, didn't know you were into this kind of stuff!"

"This is **not** the time to start making jokes Nepgear!"

Before Nepgear could retort, the mysterious woman pulled out a whip and snatched Nepgear's leg pulling her forward into a devastating close line. The almost instantaneous combo caused the candidate to flip in the air and smash into the end of the room, creating a large figured dent that caved into the marble wall.

"I'll be taking the old hag by the way. Clearly you guys aren't bothering with governing the place anyway. Your leading CPU isn't even here to protect your worthless asses! Pathetic!"

Nepgear collapsed against the wall. Recovering her vision and mental fortitude, she hurried of the ground and ran toward the intruder, only to be knocked back again from an explosion from the window.

"So long Nepgear… let's pray I never have to face such incompetency ever again."

Brushing past the smoke, the candidate reached the hole that was created on the side of Planeptune tower. In the distance, she could see the the Iris menace fly away in the distance kidnapping Planeptune's oracle for undoubtedly nefarious means.

"Son of a bitch!" The candidate clutched the side of her stomach the encounter started to cause both internal and external bleeding. She could only support herself off the ground for so long before having collapsed through sheer pain. Distraught, defeated, and despaired, the candidate reached out in the distance toward her Oracle. Calling out a name she despised yet needed.

"Nep…tune…"

 _~Sometime later~_

IF drove uncomfortably down the streets of Planeptune. Her beat up -almost destroyed- convertible caught stares of perplexity and confusion from Planeptune's citizens. It also didn't help that everyone inside the car looked like they had just walked out of hell by the skin of their teeth.

Neptune, who was wearing IF's trench coat due to the fiery demise of her parka dress, now woke up, almost in shock from the sudden change in scenery.

"Wow, we finally made back to the city."

"That's right Nep, I'll drop us off at the basilicom. I have _a lot_ to report to the Info Guild (Not to be confused with the quest guild) embassy in the basilicom. You also need to get changed and rested. And Compa… jeez… you guys better have a decent mental health ward. She'll need it. Same thing with Falcom."

Upon reaching the Basilicom, IF drove the crew toward the emergency ward. The staff that were on standby quickly carried the the nurse and redhead out of the car and onto stretchers.

"Follow me Nep, I can buy you a change of clothes at the guild."

"Oh that's too kind of you Iffy, I can handle myself…"

"Nah, I need to repay you for covering asses back at that gas station. Without you, Compa and I would have never made it back safely."

"Don't sweat it IF, its my job as Planeptune's goddess to help those in need, if only I could've saved everyone…"

"The incident at clinic won't go unnoticed, I'll make sure the guild hears of it and finds out what the hell that monster was, and whoever the hell was responsible for its creation."

Neptune nodded at IF's reassuring words and walked entered the Basilicom of Planeptune tower. When the reached the quest guild, a certain highlighted request caught the attention of a Planeptune's CPU.

"Hey IF! Look at this. It's a rescue request… for me?"

"What? Holy crap! 750,000 credits?! I could buy a new damn car with that!"

"I can buy a new parka dress!" The girls fawned over the digital screen, like two little children at the outside of a toy shop.

IF immediately walked up to the receptionist with the digital request in one hand, and Neptune in the other. The receptionist almost jumped out of shock, seeing that he request was completed instantly after it was taken.

"You found her that fast? How?" The receptionist said giving an odd look. IF smugly pulled on her collar and dusted off her dress, emanating a vibe of confidence and cockiness.

"Anyways, I'm afraid I can't get you your payment yet." IF, dumbfounded, shocked, betrayed, you name it, she felt it. She had the chance of a new lifetime at her palms only for her to realize it was never really there.

"W-what! What do you mean I can't get paid? The kid's right here!"

"Well ma'am the client of the request appears to be unavailable to provide the payment…"

"Why does that matter? The money should have already been put in when she requested in the first place!"

"As much as I'd like to agree with you, the request comes from Planeptune's Oracle… and the money from said Oracle are government funds. Meaning that the money simply can't be given away without her permission. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get in contact with the Oracle for a couple days now…"

Disappointed, IF turned toward Neptune who was right behind her and heard the unfortunate news. Without a single word escaping their mouths, they simply shook their heads in mutual disappointment and left to go further into the tower.

"Hey IF, is all-right if I head off to my room in your jacket? Just so I can get a spare change of clothes."

"Fine, just don't lose my jacket if you don't want lose your kneecaps."

The two split off to separate paths, one going up higher into the building to enter her room, another splitting off to report her findings.

 _~Emergency Ward, a few hours later.~_

Compa woke up realizing she was strapped to an IV machine, though she couldn't see her fully, Falcom was on another bed next to her, separated from her by a curtain.

"Where am I…?"

Easing herself off the bed, Compa supported herself off the ground with her IV stand and exited her recovery room. As she walked out the door, she almost died of shock when a woman who was leaning next to the doorway with her arms crossed called her out. The woman at the doorway had a pink leather jacket on, worn over what one would assume to be a sailor uniform. She had a cigarette in her mouth and only one D-Pad accessory in hair as opposed to Neptune's 2 D-Pads.

"Probably should stay in bed, it'd be best for you, mentally at least."

"Ah! Uh… who are you…? where am I?"

"The name's Nepgear, Neptune's sister…"

"Oh! You must be the really cute sister that Nep-Nep was talking about! She wasn't lying, I can see that now"

The compliment flabbergasted the brooding candidate, it caught her so off guard that her cigarette fell out of her mouth and her calm an edgy composure turned into shock and embarrassment.

"W-what! My idiot sister would _never_ say something like that about me!"

"Nope! She set it indefinitely, cross and hope to die. Just as my grandpa said, never make a promise you can't fuck your way out of avoiding!"

Nepgear, completely dumbfounded by this mysterious (and possibly – most definitely – idiotic) nurse, simply held her hands together, nodded.

"Compa!"

The nurse and the candidature around to see IF running toward her.

"IF! We finally made it back to Planeptune, I'm so glad to see-"

"Not now Compa! We need to go! NOW! You too Nepgear"

Nepgear stood back off the wall, giving IF a concerned stare, she looked more to the right and saw multiple Planeptune security personal running down the hall, most presumably after IF.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this!" Nepgear smashed her fist together and cracked her knuckles, both annoyed and confused.

"There's no time to explain! We need to go now! There's going to be a-"

"Halt! In the name of Planeptune! Aiefu! You are under arrest for attempted treason against the Goddess of our sovereign country!"

IF gritted her teeth out of rage and pulled Compa behind her and her handgun in front of her. Nepgear stood near the wall between the security and the guild agent, still unbeknownst of any context.

"Hey! Assholes! What's going on!? What beef you got with the brunette?"

The guards turned around a noticed a certain someone approaching from behind. They split up lined up in an orderly fashion against the wall, allowing for her to walk through.

"Kei…"

Lastation's Oracle decided to rear her head into Planeptune.

Nepgear grew even more pissed and walked toward Kei furiously, definitely with the intent of socking her.

"What the hell is some asshole from Lastation doing here? Huh?!"

Kei immediately pulled out a handgun from trench coat and aimed it directly at Nepgear's head, it's laser sight acting as a warning.

"*ahem* "Lady" Nepgear, I have orders from Lastation _and_ Planeptune guild leaders for your incarceration as well as the guild agent."

"What! Why?"

"Let's just say you and your pesky sister are getting in the way of things…"

"Hold on a second asshole! What the hell did _we_ do to your trashy nation?"

"Destruction of Lastation property."

"I didn't touch that cesspit of a nation or anything near it. Besides… you got any proof of that?"

Kei pulled out a picture from her coat, the image revealed satellite footage over Planeptune, Neptune, Compa, and IF were fighting some beast that Nepgear had never saw before.

"Neptune… and those two? Okay sure, my _sister_ may have destroyed your uh… pet… thing. But how the hell am I involved?"

"CPU Association of Gamindustri act, Article 54. States that any Candidates associated with a criminal CPU shall be apprehended as well-"

"That's a bullshit law and you know it!" Nepgear charged toward the Oracle, before the white haired general could fire, the candidate grabbed her hand and pointed it toward her stomach. Kei fired multiple times into Nepgear's stomach with no affect.

(Yes Yes, I know about Nepgear Goes to work. Don't worry about it, I'll fix it later.)

"Hey asshat! Did you just forget I'm a CPU candidate? Make sure you can square up before you get fucked up. Nigga!" The candidate pulled Kei closer, taking her handgun, and unleashed a devastating uppercut that flung the Oracle across the room. The guards lined up on the wall immediately jumped forward and aimed their guns at the candidate. IF, with Compa now hiding behind a nearby bench, ran up next to the candidate and easily dropped most of the guards with her precision firing. Any else unfortunate to survive got grabbed and slammed by Nepgear.

"Hey you, uh… Aiefu?"

"You can just call me IF, we need to get out of here."

"Wait! Iffy" Compa ran next to IF and grabbed her hand out of concernment. "What about Nep-Nep?"

"My sister can handle herself. Besides…" Nepgear using what little share energy she had, summoned and assault rifle and beam saber, the former strapped to her back and the latter she carried over her shoulder. "We won't need her anyway."

"Damn… nice work Nepgear, can you transform as well?"

"Fuck no… I wish though."

"Wait, if Planeptune's out of CPUs that can transform. Who's in charge?"

Just as IF finished her question. The intercom system of Planeptune's turned on. And it began.

All the screens, television, monitors, etc. All of them were switched to show live footage directly from Planeptune's basilicom. Histoire, showing absolute dread in her eyes, stood in front of a certain Iris-haired CPU.

"Attention all citizens of Planeptune… this is Histoire reporting live from Planeptune's basilicom. As of today, Planeptune will now transition from a sovereign country, into a territory annexed by Lastation. Due to the disappearance of Planeptune's now former CPU, a new acting CPU, appointed by Lastation, will take charge until Planeptune if fully absorbed by the nation of Lastation. Your new acting CPU would like to share a message with all of you."

Distressed and despaired Histoire bowed her head and flew behind the mysterious woman. Planeptune's new acting CPU approached the screen, her demeanor emanated a sense of domination and superiority.

"Oh my~ Dear citizens of Planeptune. You've found yourself in quite a predicament, haven't you? Nonetheless, I am now Planeptune's rightful ruler! Any and all of those who rebel or dissent against my rule should prepare themselves for and endless cycle of pain in chaos, for I **Iris Heart** , as my first executive order, declare martial law!"

Gasp and cries of panic ran across inner Planeptune. Lines of infantry and artillery drove through the streets of the once peaceful and independent nation. Stores were being closed down, people beaten and thrown back into their homes. Brutality and domination, the only words that can describe Iris Heart and her reign.

 _~Neptune~_

"Iris Heart huh? Well… I've definitely heard of you before…"

Neptune walked down the hall of unconscious and beaten guards. Kei as well was knocked out and slumped into a corner.

"Jeez sis, you really did a number on these Neppas"

She entered the infirmary Falcom was lying her bed, half shocked and half tired.

"C'mon redhead, we gotta get giddy up to Lowee, this place aint safe for either of us."

Falcom rubbed her eyes and stood up, off the bed.

"Neptune? What's going on…? Why are we going to Lowee?"

"An old flame of mine rules there… she's beaten Iris Heart before, and I sure as hell can't beat her without my HDD"

"An old flame… wait! Were you dating-"

"Yeah, my ex… Blanc…"

 **To Be Continued.**


	6. Chapter 6: SoLIDus

**AN: Due to anonymous demand, I'll be adding a** _ **Story So Far Segment**_ **to clear up the story. Anything in () are from previous works.**

 _ **Story So Far:**_ **Purple Heart, after falling for a trap set by Lastation, has lost her HDD form and been separated from the basilicom after falling from the Celestian Remains. Afterwards the defeated CPU found herself in a Clinic in the outskirts of Planeptune. There, she met Compa, a rather clumsy, but wholehearted nurse. Neptune's visit didn't last long due to an unknown beast that broke into the clinic and massacred almost everyone inside, the only survivors being Compa and Neptune. After meeting up with Compa's friend IF and discovering another devastated survivor, Falcom, the group teamed up to destroy the same monstrosity that pursued them, escaping into the confines of inner Planeputne.**

 **Unfortunately for them, their return would not be met with applause. While Neptune was gone, Histoire, Planeptune's oracle, had been kidnapped by Iris Heart, a former CPU. Without reason or thought, Iris Heart usurps the role of lead CPU from Neptune and declares martial law. With Nepgear, Neptune, and IF as wanted criminals in Planeptune, the sisters and their friends flee from inner Planeptune, hoping to seek redemption and justice.**

Chapter 6:

 _~Nepgear, Compa, and IF. Compa's House~_

"Geez Compa, you live all the way out here?" Nepgear drudgingly stretched her arms and legs when she entered the isolate house with IF and Compa.

"I was never a fan of living in the city. The loud noises and crowded atmosphere wasn't really comfortable. Well, that's what I used to think. Considering what just happened awhile back, I think I'll be moving in with IF."

"Yeah? Well you better start paying cash, upfront!" IF asserted coldly when she stared at Compa, only to ease up and pat the nurse on the back. "Just kiddin ya dunce. I don't mind you hanging over."

Nepgear opened a nearby window and pulled out another cigarette. "I don't know Iffy. Sounds like you want to do a lot more than "Hang out" with Compa…"

"Can it Gear!" IF yelled while being all flustered in red. It was obvious to both the nurse and the candidate that IF was hiding her true feelings, but they let it aside.

The couple sat down at the table and twiddled their thumbs while Nepgear continued to lean on the windowsill, delighting in her toxic nicotine.

"Hey Ge-Ge! You shouldn't be smoking! Its not healthy for a young girl like you!"

"I'm 27. Also don't call me that."

"Call you what?"

"That stupid nickname, Ge-Ge or whatever. Its sounds childish."

"Aww but its sounds so cute! A cute name should fit for a cute girl."

"Stop flirting with me you weirdo, hey IF, need a light?"

IF had brought out her own cigarette and padded down her grey dress coat for her lighter which she just couldn't find. "Son of a bitch! I left it in my trench coat! My damn coat I gave to Neptune! *Sigh* Yeah, I could use one. Thanks."

The candidate tossed her lighter to IF, only for Compa to intercept it's path. "No! At least Ge-Ge is a CPU candidate, so she has an excuse. But _you_ miss IF cannot under _any_ circumstances start smoking!"

"Aww c'mon Compa can't a girl get a break?"

"No! Hmph!" Compa chucked the lighter back at Nepgear "You better not give her your lighter or you won't hear the end of it missy!" Compa left the room to presumably start dinner, the lights in the kitchen turned on and shined briefly in the hallway, while the sounds of pots and pans being placed and displaced clanged throughout the halls of the house.

"Whatever…" The candidate rolled her eyes as she blew a puff of smoke out the window. "Hey IF, tell me. What exactly happened back at the basilicom?"

"Well…"

 _~8 hours ago~_

IF smugly walked into the Info Guild embassy in Planeptune. She had just found Planeptune's missing CPU, and despite not being able to claim a bounty for it, she still felt prideful and had the hope that her friends in the Guild would exalt her.

"You guys. I just found Neptune. Ya know… the CPU of Planeptune. Pretty important stuff huh? Yeah, she's going to the upper floors to-"

"Neptune is no longer Planeptune's CPU" Turning around quickly, IF the least person she'd thought she would find in Planeptune. The head of Lastation's biological research division….Vio. The woman, once a biohazard agent, now making the very weapons she once fought to prevent harming Gamindustri.

"The hell's the mad scientist bitch doing here?" IF couldn't reach for her gun without the scientist noticing as her coat was gone. She also started to grow anxious, realizing her comrades at the Info Guild were starting to turn on her as well.

"Well, if you really must know. I'm here with my friend Lid to set up Planeptune's acting CPU until Lastation annexes the country. Don't tell me that someone at the Info Guild hasn't heard about the annexation of Planeptune?"

"Hey I was busy-"

"I was joking. I know you were busy." Vio rudely interrupted the soon former guild agent and opened her briefcase, reveling a most horrifying sight to the guild agent. "See everyone? Look how they massacred my boy!" The mad scientist pulled out a beast's head. A head belonging to the same abomination that IF had just escaped from.

"W-what the hell!? Did _you_ create that thing?"

"Of course, such a magnificent work of art! Stampeded and beaten by you and your filthy mongrel friend of a CPU! Don't you know how many people I sacrificed, all the blood, pain, and effort – of others of course – I dealt with just to make _one_ damn unit!"

"That thing is responsible for the massacre of innocent lives!"

"Innocent lives? Don't you mean test subjects? That clinic was perfect for testing the capabilities of my magnum opus! How dare you question-"

"Shut the hell up you son of a bitch!" IF, enraged and trembling, pulled out her handgun and started to walk toward the scientist. "Your "magnum opus" is nothing more than proof that bastards like you should be put in the ground!"

But before IF could approach the mad scientist any further. She found herself stopped in her tracks by a cacophony of clicks, hammers of various standard-issue handguns all being pointed at her.

"What the-"

"You are no longer accepted in the Guild; don't you see IF? Money and power rule Gamindustri, loyalty and morals are nothing more than euphemisms and made up lingo used to form an illusion of this so called "Unity" that you pretentious optimist are so fond of, reality is cruel, I just like to take advantage of it. Foolish girl, very foolish girl…" Vio, puffed up and complacent with her position, held up her beast's head, staring eye to eye with the decapitated member. "Such beauty must be re-worked, maybe I should start the next unit… starting with your sacrifice. Fill her with lead!"

IF closed her eyes in fear, expecting a barrage of gunfire, only hear the sounds of collapsing bodies and limbs. As she opened her eyes, her dress was covered in vermillion, and the defective Info Guild members had been cut open and dismembered by the bunch. Vio was kneeling at the ground, horrified by by the sight of her missing arm, the opening wound reddening her lab coat like a virus spreading throughout a body.

"What the hell-"

"Run! Now!"

IF turned around, a mysterious girl appeared behind her, with black hair and red eyes.

"Run! I can only keep this form up for so lo-"

Before the mysterious girl could finish, she started to dissolve away. IF didn't have any time to question what she just saw, she stomped Vio's pet's head into the ground and ran like hell to the infirmary.

 _~8 Hours later~_

"So… they all just turned on you, jeez. I thought my job sucked. Didn't think you'd have your entire set of co-workers up your ass."

"I didn't think so either. Who would've known they were such money grubbing bastards?"

IF pulled out a bottle of whiskey from a nearby mini-fridge and took a small sip from it.

"Oh what? Cigarettes are bad but fucking whiskey is okay?" Nepgear furiously yelled.

"Whiskey doesn't smell like ass" IF smugly responded." Nepgear rolled her eyes again.

"So, that monster you were talking about earlier, the monster that the bitch oracle Kei blamed on me for Neptune's work; That monster was created by Vio?"

"Seems like it, and it sounds like that fucker we fought earlier wasn't going to be the last of the bunch. And then there's that girl…"

"Oh her? Yeah, its probably a doppelganger projection, it's a CPU ability. Neptune tried doing that once, she didn't have enough share energy to maintain it and passed out for like a week. A drew a bunch of dicks on her face while she slept."

"Really huh? Well, what CPU could've pulled that off? And from what country?''

The two sat at the table, an impassable roadblock in their thoughts had them really reflect and focus on their thoughts.

Suddenly, a large breaching sound crashed from the kitchen, IF immediately ran without hesitation, Nepgear slowly followed behind.

Compa was restrained in the air by a metal tendril originating from a towering woman, at least 9 ft in the air, her white hair just touching the ceiling. She donned a hulking exoskeleton with two tendrils sprouting from the back, one holding up the nurse in the air.

"Great, _you_ " IF drew her handgun and moved cautiously.

"Well if it isn't the infamous former Guild Agent, I don't believe we've met before, miss Aeifu?" The woman crossed her arms while the nurse struggled in the air.

"If we have, you're a far cry from what you once were. Now let go of Compa, **Lid**! Your fight's with me!"

"Don't worry, I won't hurt your precious little nurse, I just need to squeeze some info out of her… besides, I'm glad I've left behind my past. I was younger and naïve, I believed that we could strive for things such a world peace and disarmament, but Noire and Lastation showed me otherwise. They showed me that the reality we incase ourselves in is brutal and unrelenting, and only those who take hold of reality and change things – change things with the willingness to suffer and struggle for the sake of progress will prosper in Gamindustri. Meanwhile those who indulge in their sloth and wait for their own "hero" to save them are nothing more than useless cattle. Those without ambitions are slaves to those who have. That is the essence of Lastation, and our motto behind _the U.N.L_ "

IF started to move closer, inching step by step as Lid continued to monologue. "U.N.L? What is that?"

"The United Nations of Lastation!" Lid proudly flexed her arm in the air, showing off the density and weight of her suit. "No longer will Gamindustri be split into these petty countries, fighting and negotiating over petty things like game development and land ownership. Once Noire takes over the entirety of Gamindustri, we will tear down the borders that divide this continent and establish an empire! One united under the flag of Lastation, gone with the deceivers of Planeptune, gone with the avarice of Leanbox! And gone with the stagnation of Lowee-"

"Can it ya old hag, your pretentious monologue is beginning to piss me off, also you basically just interrupted my dinner. I sure as hell can't allow that." Nepgear walked into the room rather casually, with her beam saber in one hand and an assault rifle in the other.

"Ah… the CPU candidate of Planeptune, how does it to feel being even more irrelevant than your pathetic excuse of a sister this nation once mistakenly called a CPU?"

"Don't compare me to that dunce. I actually do work in the basilicom. Besides, when I kick your ass and send you back to Noire, tell her I said thanks for taking my annoying sister's HDD. And with that out of the way…" Nepgear snapped her beam saber to the end of her rifle, using it as a bayonet. "Let's have some fun."

Lid smirked and threw Compa at IF, launching both of them through the wall and into the living room. "A battle? Sure, I could use a warm up…"

"Nice suit you got there, looks like a real work of engineering. It's a shame I'll have to break it while ripping your ass a new one."

"Don't get cocky Ms. Candidate, I'm a whole different game from Vio's little pet project."

Lid slowly and menacingly walked toward Nepgear, the candidate stepped back as she pulled the trigger of her rifle. Despite the seemingly infinite amount of lead that sprouted from Nepgear's weapon, it seemed to have little effect against the exoskeleton the tanked through the kitchen.

"I guess this just doesn't cut it" Nepgear charge forward with her gun pointed forward, her bayonet spiking against the tendril that grabbed the end of it. The clashing of metal created sparks that flew in all directions, scorching the wood floor and nearby cabinets. Pushing with all her might, the candidate knocked back the tendril and switched to the rifle's shotgun attachment, attempting to perform a stinger attack with buckshot instead of metal.

"Interesting technique, but such sloppiness won't get you anywhere" Lid grabbed the end of the candidates rifle and snapped the barrel in half while lifting it and Nepgear, into the air. As Lid launched the Candidate through the rooms, she ripped away the candidate's bayonet, stealing it for a later devastating attack.

"What the hell?!" Nepgear found herself dazed and unfocused as she was lifted and thrown through both the kitchen and living room walls, lying back down on the dirt. "Son of a bitch… where's that idiot sister of mine when you need-"

*SHINK*

A sharp pain burrowed through Nepgear's stomach. "Well… would you look at that…" The candidate hands started to shake violently as she looked down and saw her own beam saber impaled through her stomach. "Yeah… that's… that's not something you…" before she could even finish her witty remark. She passed out from pain.

 _~Neptune, Falcom, and Kei, Lowee outskirts~_

"Did we really need to drag her ass along?"

Falcom, who was graciously given IF's trench coat as Neptune snatched herself another parka dress, carried a tied up Lastation Oracle.

"She'll be useful when talking to Blanc, besides, we can't just have her roaming anywhere now can we?"

"Nep, she won't answer to any of our questions, what makes you think she'll listen to Bl- actually, what is the deal your relationship anyway?"

"Blanc and me? Heh, man that's a long story… its been years since we've last seen each other."

"Why did you two break up?"

"That's… well that's a secret I just can't tell you"

"Aww c'mon Nep! You can tell me! I won't tell any-"

Neptune coldly turned around to face Falcom with the most dead serious stare imaginable. "It's personal. That's why." Such coldness and straightforwardness shocked the adventurer.

"Well, looks like we're almost there."

As the red-head and the CPU reached the top of the hill. The flickering lights of Lowee's cities shined like diamonds under the dark, snowy sky.

"Wow… that place looks beautiful…" Falcom dropped Kei onto the snowy floor in amazement. The city was like nothing she had seen. Falcom always patrolled the western side of Gamindustri, never once bothering to investigate the eastern border. She couldn't believe what she was missing out on.

"Yeah… I remember this view… its been so long."

"How long have you lived in Lowee, Nep?"

"It's been years Falcom… years. I ran away from Planeptune and holed up here for a good while, worked as a mall employee. It was a retro video game store, the owner let me sleep in the basement. She's probably long gone now, but still… this place does bring back memories. Not just good ones, painful ones as well… you know Falcom, you don't have to follow me. I just brought you here because I thought you'd be safer. Lastation wouldn't be after you if you took asylum in Lowee, you don't really have to follow me. Everything that's going to happen… well… I told you already, its personal. And I don't have the right to drag you along down with me."

"Whatever is going between you and Blanc… well that's between you two. But Nep … that monster, it killed my team, the team that I was responsible for. If there's any chance that the bastards in Lastation were responsible for their deaths, then its my goddamn duty to settle the score! I won't let them die for nothing."

Neptune chuckled and crossed her arms, she was rather jovial hearing Falcom's little speech. "Thanks red-head…"

"Heh… you two brain dead Neanderthals…"

The duo turned around, noticing Kei pushing herself off the ground with her legs and shoulders, a smug demeanor from the oracle smiled as she stood up on her two feet.

"Did you honestly think kidnapping Lastation's Oracle wouldn't come with any consequences? Haha! You morons! Absolute imbeciles! Brainlets! BUFFOONS!"

The two girls, with their backs to each other, took out their weapons. Neptune with her wooden katana, and another magnum she snatched from the basilicom, and Falcom with a double barreled shotgun she stole from a Lastation soldier. Hundreds, if not thousands of Lastation military emerged from the snow. All armed and loaded to retake their oracle. Neptune grabbed Kei by the leg and threw her at Falcom, hoping for the red-head to use her as a meat-shield.

"Falcom go reach the border! I can handle take bullets! You can't!"

The redheaded drudged quickly through the thick snow, each time she lifted her legs, it felt like moving two other entire bodies, the pressure of gunfire and Neptune's safety didn't weigh easier on her either. She stopped to quickly turn to see Neptune, at first it seemed as if she was taking on Lastation's armed forces effortlessly. But her injuries in the fight against Noire still panged throughout her body, when a bullet hit her, usually it wouldn't scrape her at all. But the lead shrapnel hitting a wound lovingly created by Black Heart earlier managed to bring the CPU to her knees. As she fell, more armed forces started to tackle her. Falcom started to turn back for her, only for Neptune to yell back.

"Just go dammit! I can handle them!"

 _~Nepgear and Lid, Compa's backyard~_

"Why won't you die!?" IF was beaten and bruised against Lid's crushing exoskeleton. Her body was covered with bruises and scars. Her grey dress ripped in various areas. To call this fight a landslide would be an understatement. From IF's view, this was going to be a complete evisceration.

"Nanoshares girlie, they harden in response to mental trauma, you can't hurt me IF. You look like you can barely get up… let me help you with that…" Lid, using one of her metallic tendrils, lifted IF in the air by her neck, the force of the claw at the end of the arm continued to constrict around the brunette's neck, to the point where she dropped her handgun and pulled at the metallic arm. Its cold and sharp talons started to peel blood from the struggling woman's neck. "Soon, your pathetic excuse of an existence will diminish into nothing but a footnote of history… if even that."

Lid pulled out a High Frequency electric blade and lined it up perfectly at IF's neck.

"Not so fast!"

A massive laser beam cut through the metallic arm, severing it and releasing IF from its grasp. The asphyxiated and defeated woman fell to the floor gasping to regain her breath.

"Who on earth dares to- what the hell is that thing?"

Compa, limping from her injuries, was carrying what seemed in hindsight to be a large cannon, but as the smoke cleared, it appeared to a be a sizable syringe, larger than the nurse who was holding it. "Just as my grandpa said, if some 9 foot cybernetic bitch tries to break into your house and kill your friends just use this mean motherfucker to send them straight back to hell!"

"What in tarnation is that-"

Before Lid could even finish processing the situation, Compa released a devastating blast that launched the woman and her exoskeleton miles away toward Planeptune's shore.

"Damn… Compa *Gasp* where the hell *gasp* did you *gasp*-" IF could barely finish her sentence after the intense battle. "Compa… how-"

The nurse laid down the girl onto the ground and massaged her chest to soothe her pain.

"H-hey… don't touch me… oh whatever. Feels rather nice actually…"

"That syringe cannon was actually a gift from my Grandfather… he left it as a way to defend myself incase things got uglier when I got older."

"What, you had that the whole time!?" IF stomped her poutingly stomped her feet toward the nurse. "That could've been useful beforehand!"

"Well we couldn't exactly get to my house given the circumstances… I still wish I could've done something…." Compa impaled the syringe into the ground and leaned against it, IF, on her knees, moved next to her and held her head against her chest.

Nepgear, who had just regained consciousness and walked through the dust and smoke while still impaled, turned to witnessing the couple embracing eachother.

"Jesus Christ Nepgear! We thought you died!"

"Me? Dead? Fuck no… God wouldn't give me a vacation this early…"

Nepgear turned to her left to see Compa's house, once cheery in fully of life, now engulfed in a sea of flames.

"There's nothing left for us in Planeptune now… isn't there?" A tear shed down the side of the nurse's face as she watched her once peaceful life burn to cinders.

"This isn't over yet Compa, we still need to restore Nepgear and Neptune's administration. Iris Heart isn't the rightful ruler, and Lastation sure as hell can't annex Planeptune without consent from the other countries…"

"You're…Ahh!" Nepgear decided to pull out her beam saber from her chest, leaking a profuse amount of blood and causing her to fall to the floor, the nurse and agent barely catching her in time.

"You're nit wrong about the other countries Iffy… we can head Leanbox, Vert… the CPU there… she might be able to help us out…"

"Compa… she's not going to last long, and we don't have a lot of options, we need to get to Leanbox… there's a railroad nearby by, we can hitch a ride on that."

With an injured candidate overt he shoulder of one girl, and a mysterious laser-syringe-cannon hybrid over another girl, the three set off to Leanbox… with the hope of finding generosity in the land of avarice and greed.

 _~Lowee Border~_

Falcom held Kei in front of her, with her shotgun to the Oracle's neck. Meanwhile, Lastation forces had restrained Neptune with electromagnetic restraints, and an execution squad from Lastation's secret police, the Blaue Falken. The two of them were on opposite sides of Lowee's border, the soldiers dared not to come any closer to the red-head, in fear of breaking peacetime rules, and opening up a can of worms they did not want to mess with.

"Attention Falcom! If you do not hand over our Oracle Kei… we will execute your friend Neptune, as well as you. Do not make this harder for the both of you!" The officer said his excuse of a negotiation without any hint of sincerity or integrity. The officer had no fear toward some lowly fallen CPU and unknown adventurer. This negotiation could only end one way.

"You have 10 seconds to decide!"

"Shit!" The red-headed woman thought to herself.

"9"

"8"

"7"

"Son of a bitch! What am I supposed to do here?" Falcom found herself getting even further nauseous and anxious, she couldn't let go of Kei, but she couldn't just let Neptune die…

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"Dammit, could this possibly get any worse right now!?"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

The officer turned around and signaled the executioner, who raised his blade into the air and swiped down against Neptune's neck. Only his blade failed to contact the CPU, as a streak of blue and a massive rocket powered hammer seemed to have separated the executioner's upper half with his lower half. The executioner's sword fell down right behind Neptune, cutting her free from her chains. Eager to take advantage of the situation, Nepgear tripped the officer and used him as a human shield, grabbing the handgun from his coat and emptying an entire magazine into the endless crowd of Lastation soldiers. Another streak of blue, followed by a trail of fire… seemed to teleport sporadically among the thousands of groups of enemy soldiers, each of its movements launched enemies into the air and destroyed their bodies. It would be a matter of minutes before Neptune found herself clear of any threat and ran toward the border to meet up with Falcom.

"*Pant, Pant, Pant, Pant* Falcom… that was…" Neptune collapsed to her knees and onto and abandoned car next o Falcom, clutching her chest and trying to catch her breath.

"Holy shit Neptune, that was badass! How did you do that?"

"Falcom…*Pant* That wasn't me…"

"You're right! It wasn't!" A mysterious voice beckoned.

The same massive hammer that saved Neptune, flew in from the air and landed on top another car next to Neptune, next to the hammer stood a petite, blue haired woman with red eyes. Her outfit resembled that of a traditional military officer, with a sword around her waist and her medals strapped to the side of her chest.

"You've got a lot of of nerve rearing your ugly head around here, Neptune!"

"Hey there love! Didya miss me-"

The mysterious woman picked up her hammer and threw it an inch away from Neptune face, decimating the car Neptune was leaning on.

"In _my_ country, you will not refer to me as _love_. You will refer to me properly, as **CPU White Heart!** "

 **To Be Continued**

 **AN: Just some notes I'd like to spell out.**

 **Lid in this fic is supposed to resemble So** _ **lid**_ **us Snake from MGS2**

 **White Heart's outfit is supposed to look like Japan's outfit in Hetalia, to represent Nintendo Traditionalism.**

 **And the next chapter should focus on Iris Heart.**


	7. Chapter 7: Iris Cogniton

**A.N: Hoo boy, this was quite a long chapter for me.**

 **A.N #2: I'd recommend reading Neptune and Blanc, despite its very amateur diction and syntax, the story contents are really important. ESCPECIALLY for this chapter**

 **A.N #3: I'm going to be real with you guys. This either going to be the greatest chapter I've written in mt entire Fanfic career of 4 months, or probably the worst thing I've brought onto this Earth. I hate begging but reviews would be much appreciated.**

Chapter 7

 _Story So Far: IF was betrayed by the information guild, who was bribed by Vio: Lastation's leader in biological research. Before the Info Guild could execute IF, a mysterious woman in black saves the young brunette from her demise. When IF, Nepgear, and Compa escape the city and head to Compa's house, they find themselves attacked by Lid: A general of Lastation's armed forces and a 9ft cybernetic juggernaut. With the help of a secret weapon gifted by Compa's Grandfather, they are able to fend off against Lid and escape with an injured Nepgear to Leanbox. Meanwhile, Falcom, Kei(who is being held captive by the other two) and Neptune head to Lowee. Neptune hopes that CPU White Heart can aid her in the fight against Iris Heart, despite both Neptune and White Heart's bad blood toward each other._

 _Now: Iris Heart looms and glooms over her mostly vacant basilicom. Contemplating on her future plans and ideals. Planeptune's economy starts to crumble due to the harsh marshal law enactment placed by Iris Heart herself. Histoire despairs and despises her new so-called proxy CPU and awaits for Planeptune's CPU and Candidate to return home and reclaim their throne._

Histoire sat solemnly next to Planeptune's share core, located directly in the bottom center of the basilicom. She wondered if Neptune and Nepgear were okay, their fates would be the determining factor if Planeptune were to survive for much longer. The Oracle twiddled her thumbs and sat in silence, praying for a stalwart hero to save the day.

"Histoire, come with me!"

The Oracle shriveled in fear at the sound of Iris heart's demand, she turned around to see the ruthless dictator standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the outside.

"Yes Lady Iris Heart, may I ask where to?"

Iris Heart walked slowly toward the Oracle, Histoire could do naught but cower in fear. She couldn't run nor fight against the fearsome beast that controlled Planeptune, she could only sit where she sat and hope for the best.

"We're going to the shoreline. Any. More. Questions?"

"No Lady Iris Heart"

"Good"

The two flew out of the basilicom. Looking down, they saw a dead, quiet city. No lights, no moving cars, no attractions, there was nothing but the sound of desolation below. Histoire was taken aback by how lifeless the city was, how such a vibrant country had turned into a dystopian wasteland. When the two reached the sandy shore, Iris Heart did something that Histoire would have never expected, she turned back into human form.

"Ah! Lady iris Heart! Why did you-"

"Don't worry yourself Histy… it's just meeee…. Plutia!"

Histoire felt like a completely different person from a different dimension had displaced the woman who was sitting in front of her. This girl, Plutia, she had such a different and offset demeanor from Iris Heart, the sudden change even reminded the Oracle of Neptune and Purple heart, such drastic changes in personality seemed to be a norm that occurred in Histoire's life.

"Isn't the moonlight beautiful Histy? Histy…? Are you still there?"

"Oh yes! Sorry lady Iris- I mean Plutia, I was just very taken aback by your sudden transformation!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, should I change baaaaack?"

"Nonononono that's fine, this is fine Plutia, I actually rather prefer things to be this way."

Histoire still couldn't believe what she was seeing, how could such a sweet little girl be such violent and cathartic leader? Sure her HDD form had a drastic change in personality but surely the internal morals and ethics should have carried over between transformations.

"Histy! You still haven't answered my question about the moon!" The young Iris-haired girl pranced around the floating Oracle, in a rather childlike way.

"Ah yes, it's very beautiful indeed, but that can't the only reason reason you brought me here? Is it, Plutia?"

"Not exaaaaaactly, here…" Plutia lent out her hand toward the Oracle, who reciprocated by reaching out her tiny hand and grabbing onto Plutia's finger. "Let me tell you a story Histoire… a story you've definitely forgotten"

"Right… my apologies, but things like that are out of my control. I'm sure you know the required procedures, Plutia." Histoire lamented over the fact that all her memories of every former CPU in Planeptune was erased. The procedure's intent was to make sure that Histoire wouldn't form any biases or emotions toward past CPUs and focus on serving the current CPU, it was also a way for her to save memory.

"Well Histy… it aaaaaall happened many years back… many years agooooo…"

 _~ 40 years ago… Planeptune, Plutia~_

Back then… I was a CPU candidate. My leading CPU, Uranus, had recently defeated CPU Uzume after she had become corrupted by an animosity trigger. In the eyes of the people of Planeptune, she was a hero, an idol that showed the world that Planeptune was a nation to be reckoned with. Not only that, but… I was in love in CPU Uranus… I even gave her my own nickname… Yuri. We had defeated Uzume together… the bond we made through those times is something I would never forget. I was hoping that later… maybe we could have even gotten married… had something past love, loyalty. Uranus was a maverick, she wouldn't bow down to the government officials and their plans. She wanted and upheld justice at all cost, no matter who she had to disobey. I remember this book she'd read sometimes, she even read it to me once before I went to bed. It was so long ago I don't remember many of the lines, but there was one group that always stuck with me…

 _To see the world in a grain of sand_

 _And heaven in a wild flower_

 _To hold infinity in the palm of your hand_

 _And eternity… in an hour_

If Yuri was alive today, then Planeptune- No… Gamindustri as a whole would be a much better place. In my eyes, she was shining star… my love and my hope.

But on the other hand the Government saw a revolutionary, a woman who showed that human governments were irrelevant and that a CPU alone could lead a country. In fear of losing their power, I was tasked with killing her, obviously I refused, but they wouldn't take no for answer. Despite how hard I struggled and resisted, they managed to control my mind… my body… They had to use me as they knew CPU Uranus was too mentally strong to be corrupted by their mind control. But I was an easier target, I was younger… naïve.

When it came time for Yuri's big speech, I had lost complete control of my body, yet I was still conscious. Imagine that Histoire… imagine having your body being moved against your own fucking will! Imagine not being able to do anything as your body is forced to draw arms against the woman you love. The look on everyone's face as I killed Yuri… I was vilified, the people of Planeptune called for my execution. But the big wigs saw otherwise.

After being imprisoned and malnourished for their own sadistic taste, tied down to the floor in chains for years and years. They used me for whatever the hell they wanted. Since I was CPU, they could test anything they wanted on me. Weapons… Chemicals… guns… knives… whatever the hell was in an arsenal, they used it on me.

It wouldn't be long until so much hatred built inside me… so much… so much chaos inside me had awakened. And _she_ was born. Iris Heart… to my knowledge, I'm the only CPU whose HDD was awakened through sheer pain and agony, a desire for sadistic payback.

Soon, the government forced me into a suicide mission, to assassinate the president of Lowee and recover Planeptune's rouge CPU that ran away, Neptune... The mission was a success at first, but the Black Heart and White heart managed to knock me out of commission before I could capture Neptune. Disappointed with my defeat and bored of toying with me, Planeptune's government ordered for my execution.

At that time… that's when I ran away… ran away far from Planeptune… and found solace in Lastation. I'm sure you can connect the rest, Histoire.

 _~Present Time~_

"Oh my goodness… Plutia… I didn't think…"

"I'm not asking for pity, I'm only trying to justify myself, at least make you understand why I'm so… bitter. Planeptune's government is cowering in fear. The officials that tortured me all those years ago have now fled to the other countries, likely scheming with the other governments, planning with Leanbox and Lowee's government to build up an army to kill me and take back their country."

"That would most likely be their course of action… so… Plutia. What will you do?"

"Well Histoire… well… that is why I've brought you here."

Plutia stomped her foot onto the sandy beach, the sheer impact of the stomp creating a gust of wind in all directions, creating even a tiny sandstorm. After the dust had settled, Histoire and Plutia found themselves on top of what seemed to be a missile silo.

The Oracle knew exactly what Plutia wanted from her… launch codes. Histoire knew Planeptune had nuclear weapons… but never a single idea of using them crossed her mind.

"This… these were nuclear missile silos that CPU Uzume had ordered the construction of. Me and Yuri fought and killed Uzume here. This place is where my downfall started. But now, I'll take my suffering and send it back tenfold."

"You're going to threaten the other countries with nuclear warheads?!" Histoire now realized that Plutia wasn't far to different from Iris Heart. Plutia was just good at containing her psychotic nature. The Iris-haired girl in her human form was tactile, innocent in appearance but unrelenting at heart. On the other hand, the dominatrix inside that would be released was a beast that stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. Iris Heart and Plutia; The demon and the devil, both aiming for chaos, each with their own mindset.

"If that is what must be done to get my revenge, and to avenge my love… Yuri… so be it. If I must destroy Gamindustri- No! The World! If I must become a monster that rips apart reality for her own desire, so be it! I'll endure the exile! Those bastards, and the atrocities they committed against me! That cannot be forgiven! But worst of all… the murder of my love. Histoire… I know you don't trust me. But I beg of you, give me the codes… please…"

"Are you insane Plutia!? You're a psychopath! I would never give a person like you nuclear launch codes!"

"I expected as much… looks like if something must be done, I'll have to do it myself…"

A flash of Iris Light shined like a beacon in hell from the beach, Plutia had disappeared, and in her place, Iris Heart stood towering over the small tome. Histoire felt fear and despair creep over soul once again.

"Histoire! Give me the launch codes! Now!" Iris Heart snapped her whip sword, its pointed end aimed directly at Histoire.

"Plutia… no- Iris Heart… had the circumstances been different, maybe if the world was a better place. You and Yuri could have been an amazing couple, and an outstanding duo of leaders of Planeptune. Even now! It may not be too late! Please Iris Heart, you don't need this revenge-"

"WHY! WHY NOT! TELL ME HISTOIRE! GIVE ME A GODDAMN REASON WHY I CAN'T EXACT MY FUCKING REVENGE. AM I NOT WORTHY!? AM I DOOMED TO LIVE DEFEATED AND HUMILATED!?" Iris Heart's body started to act erratically. Her eyes twitching and her limbs trembling. An indescribable amalgamation of hatred, sorrow, anger, depression, chaos; All of it scrambled and contorting one poor girl's soul.

"No! That's not it! Iris Heart! If you focused your energy from vengeance into Improving Planeptune, as well as working to better Gamindustri, you could be the greatest CPU Gamindustri has seen. It's not too late to turn back Iris Heart! "

"But… My vengeance… I need… to… Yuri!"

"Yuri wouldn't stand for this, Plutia! She wouldn't support putting a bounty on Neptune and Nepgear, and she sure as hell wouldn't support Nuclear deterrence! Iris Heart I swear, if you go through with this plan, then you'd only prove that those Government officials were right! You'd prove that CPUs like Rei Ryghts and Uzume aren't an exception and prove that the world needs human governments to keep the CPUs in check!"

Iris Heart stood there contemplating, she dropped her sword which clanged against the cold, silent, and stone surface of the missile silo. "Do… do you really think so Histy…?" The sporadic woman transformed back into her human form. She fell to her knees, tears welling up on the side of her face. The oracle brushed next to the collapsed girl and wrapped her arms on the sides of her neck.

"Plutia… let's go back to the basilicom. We can't resolve everything there. We just need-"

But before Histoire could finish her sentence, a metallic tendril wrapped around the small oracle and pulled her away from the distressed CPU.

"Iris Heart!"

Plutia stood back up in shock to see Lid, her suit was damaged and only one of her two tendrils were functioning, the other being missing. Histoire struggled and pounded against the metallic claw that enveloped her.

"Lid! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just got launched a couple miles from some unknown cannon-type weapon, my head hurts like hell and I'm not in the mood to negotiate. I don't why the hell you two are here, but you need to head back to the Basilicom. Histoire's coming with me anyway so-"

"What! Why? Why do you need Histoire right now!?"

Lid clenched her fist and speed walked her way toward the kneeling CPU. Plutia's small figure couldn't compare to Lid's hulking 9ft cybernetic exoskeleton.

"Don't you forget Plutia! Noire saved you when you were nothing but some miserable nobody that escaped from Planeptune. Your loyalty lies with CPU Black Heart and not your own. We let you act as the proxy CPU of Lastation because we trusted you! Do not betray our judgements Plutia!"

"I understand… Lid…"

"Good, I'll be reporting back to Lastation with the Oracle, stay in the basilicom and make sure the place doesn't catch on fire or some crap. Got it!?"

"Yes ma'am"

Lid walked away toward inner Planeptune to catch a ride to Planeptune. Plutia stood at the beach silently as she saw Histoire wave goodbye as she was carried by Lid.

"Goodbye Histoire… *sigh*"

The CPU walked toward the end of the beach, looking down at her reflection in the water that was enlightened by the moon. The water wrapped around her legs and rippled as tears dropped into the reflection.

"Yuri… what am I supposed to do?"

 _~Leanbox, Vio~_

The mad scientist, Vio. She was responsible for the chaos that ensued in the Planeptune clinic. The bloodshed and horror, all were part of her plan. To her, she viewed the world as nothing more than a test chamber, filled with an endless amount of rats, playthings she could exploit for her own research and entertainment. This was all thanks to Noire, who turned a blind eye to many of her experiments. The Black Hearted CPU considered Vio's experiments as childish, but not harmful toward Lastation. At least in her eyes. With Vio's infinite and unholy knowledge, and Noire's ever reaching power, Lastation would find itself responsible for heinous crimes against humanity itself.

The green haired psychopath held on to the handle bars and stood at the edge of the passenger chopper, fearlessly and stoically. She felt no fear of death, for the endless void that consumes all was nothing to her but an inevitability, a tumor formed from ones own mortality. Vio despised reality and rejected any meaning from it. She had to create her own meaning, whether it'd be in a lab concocting an egregious amalgamation of cursed proportions, or atop a vast pile of corpses, basking in her vileness. Vio had no qualms with morals or ethics, for she felt that such ideas were naught but idealistic norms created by humanity to provide meaning to their futile existence.

As the chopper settled down onto the helipad atop Leanbox's basilicom, she slowly stepped out, repulsing internally at the environment that surrounded her. Leanbox was a capitalistic empire, engorged in corporate control and social fads. Two things Vio vehemently despised. Leanbox represented everything Vio hated about Gamindustri, if not the human race as a whole. The circulation of pop culture and memes that wreathed the Leanboxian populous disgusted Vio, how so much of humanity wanted its time on superfluous and non-essential distractions. In Vio's eyes, Leanbox was a country of rats crawling toward a food bin filled with greed and avarice of those above them.

Leanbox's government was the most eccentric of the 4 countries. Planeptune's government tossed and turned depending on whomever happened to be in charge, in the case of Plutia, the country was in complete anarchy due to Iris Heart's reign. Lowee was a traditionalist empire, adhering to traditions and rituals of times long past in Gamindustri's history. Vio's home country, Lastation, was a fascist dictatorship hell bent on complete exaltation of a single CPU; Unlike the other countries, Lastation had since executed their human Government, handing complete control to CPU Noire.

Then there was Leanbox, the country of avarice and greed. Leanbox had a human government, but unlike Lowee and Planeptune, that government was formed of businesses and corporations, mostly game development and publishing companies considering the obvious context of Gamindustri being the world's largest export of Game manufacturing. Leanbox did not raise people based on morals and ethics, but of capital and greed. Children are either born extremely wealthy, dowsed in riches and luxury, brats to be born of entitlement; Or they were born rotting in poverty, roaming the slums and ghettos of Leanbox and scavenging through the scraps of food and defilement to continue their worthless existence and humiliation.

Vio saw this country as sickening and repulsive. A country that exploits humanity's obsession with cultural phenomenon's and the ever so decreasing attention spans. Leanbox never slept, as the rich chowed and fattened themselves through endless amounts of food, the poor were decaying in the streets, begging for either mercy, or death. Such imbalance and unfocused patriotism seemed asinine .

As she and her two bodyguards entered the elevator which had a windowed view of Leanbox's major cities, she found herself nauseated with the amount of billboard advertisements and headlines that littered the city, it reminded her of the time that Lastation was once taken over by Affimojas. This corporate cesspit before her tainted her eyes, she couldn't bear to longer look at the exploitation of man's sloth, greed, and lust.

The elevator then reached its desired destination and stopped dead in its tracks, concealing the windows and opening the door into a hallway of narcissism and vanity. The walls of the hallway were littered with very self-imposing pictures of Leanbox's CPU. Vio could just make out the mature and blonde figure behind the frosted glass doorway, she ordered the two guards to stay put outside and entered the office by herself, alone.

As she entered the office, the blonde woman at the other end of the desk handed her a cigar, a welcome gesture in this country. Vio coldly refused her offer and sat down with empty grace and fortitude, she care naught to offer respect toward the woman in front of her. The woman she viewed as a narcissistic and self-indulgent capitalistic pig. Her ungodly sized bosom didn't help change Vio's mind either. Whether it'd be jealousy or disgust, the mad scientist despised the CPU's body, if not everything about Leanbox's CPU, **Vert**.

"If it isn't my special guest from Lastation! How may I help you madam?"

"You can start by calling me Vio, and nothing else. Second, I have received reports of very suspicious individuals entering your country"

"Suspicious individuals? My my…" The blondie took out a Lowee-made folding hand fan, despite the rather cool temperature of the room. "Surely you aren't accusing me of providing asylum to your personal enemies, am I?"

Vio clenched her fist, she hated Vert's demeanor and rhetoric, it was the polar opposite of everything she liked about Noire's cold and stoic personality.

"I won't have to if you cooperate with me and Lastation's armed forces, so please, I need footage of every security camera and eye witness accounts from every person in Leanbox's outskirts-"

"That's an invasion of privacy Miss Vio… I don't know how folks like you handle privacy in Lastation-"

"We don't, all shall be revealed to our Führer, Noire!" Vio rudely interrupted.

Vert, taken aback by the sudden outburst, eased back up and continued her statement. "… But… we in Leanbox value our citizens privacy as well as the privacy of our businesses. I can _request_ that they show you possible security footage and I can _ask_ if people have seen your suspects in my country… but I cannot force people to bow down to your demands"

Vio grew absolutely livid at the CPU's remark. She was very willing to forgo her career and role as Lastation's head of biological research, but she held back. Calming herself on the inside and easing her breathing, she opened her suitcase, revealing pictures of three peculiar women on a Leanbox railway.

"Oh my! Who is that with the purple hair? They look absolutely gorgeous! Oh! The brunette with the grey dress is also very attractive as well I must add"

"This isn't an advertisement for a brothel you-" Vio had to stop herself once again from insulting the Country's CPU. "From left to right, their names are Aiefu Factoria, Compile Hearten, and Nepgear with no known last name, at least that's what some of my reports say. A multitude of spies have brought back reports revealing their nicknames: IF, Compa, and uhm… Ge-Ge. Do with that information as you will, but I expect full cooperation with your military. Is that understood?"

"Of course, as long as we're paid obviously…" The smug CPU leaned back into her reclining chair and rested her long and slender, yet delicate legs atop the mahogany table.

"*Sigh* I'll be sure to bring it up with Noire… now if you'll excuse me. I need to leave your cesspit of a country before I have to gouge my eyes out!" Vio stampeded out of the room in a rapid and annoyed manner, snapping her fingers to signal the guards to follow her.

The CPU sat at her table and stared back at the scientist, long enough before the door to her office shut and the outer hallway was blurred by the frosted glass.

"Vert! Why would you let that insufferable whore talk-down to you like that?!" Leanbox's Oracle, **Chika Hakozaki** , who was listening while fixing a nearby bookcase, stampeded toward the CPU and slammed her hands against the wooden desk.

"She is _far_ inferior to me when it comes to intellect, respect, grace, tact, and well…" The CPU giggled as she shook her bosom up and down, causing them to jiggle softly. "… other departments. Nonetheless I'll go through with her demands, I'd rather we avoid nagging and throwing provocations at our rival country, despite how much the thought pleasures me."

Chika grew internally excited from the CPU's perverted gesture but regained her composure and questioned the CPU's actions. "Vert! That woman shows no desire to help Leanbox nor recognize its sovereignty as a country! The conversation was merely two bad conversations from a declaration of war-"

"That will be _**all**_ Chika, if there is anything else you wish to say, please print it out and send it into the complaint box." The CPU pointed to her complaint box which was just a batch of cardboard with a slit in it that led to a paper shredder.

"But Vert-"

"I don't know about you Chika, But I'm going to have to agree with our lovely CPU on this one." Leanbox's public representative and Vice president of Microsoft's gaming branch, **Phil Spencer** , butted into the conversation. "I think avoiding conflict is the best course of action, especially considering our current… epidemic…"

"Ah yes… preparing for this meeting and all that… I had forgotten about the rise of the FN-Drug." Vert's content and jolly demeanor quickly turned into remorse and regret.

The FN-Drug sprang up during Leanbox's initiation as a country. Ever since the country's debut, the people of Leanbox, especially the youth, have been corrupted by the spread of the FN-Drug, unlike most black market drugs, the FN-Drug can be spread digitally through manipulating frequencies of light to basically fry the human brain through constant visual use. The light frequencies, upon repeated and long term use, rip open the brain's dopamine cells and cause the mind to overload with pleasure, sometimes knocking out or even killing the viewer in ecstasy. Despite efforts to improve security and hide the drug so it can be snuffed out from public view, many young teens in Leanbox's populous, whether they be the rich and mighty or poor and weak, the drug rips into the viewers mind, and causes mental illnesses that corrupt one's perception of reality. Reports have shown individuals hearing voices in their head that urge them to view the light, to be consumed by it.

As the three in the office stood around the wooden table, another woman entered the room; A red headed maid with a gothic Lolita dress bowed down toward the CPU.

"Darling! You've returned!" Vert scampered around her desk to hug the Leanboxian maid. Chika grew contempt and jealous while Phil merely smirked at the heartwarming reunion. "Please… have you found a solution for the epidemic?"

 **Cave** , Leanbox's negotiator as well as private servant toward Vert and Vert only. She had recently travelled around Gamindustri, and even further beyond to other islands to search for a possible cure for the FN-Drug. Unfortunately, the maid found all but a naught for the rising epidemic. "Lady Vert, I must apologize, none of the countries or continents had even the slightest of idea or plan to solve the epidemic, the PC Continent, the gold third… none of them had a solution…"

"I understand Cave… please rest now, I'm sure you're very weary from your travels…" Vert brushed of the Maid's outfit and straightened her collar.

"Thank you, lady Vert, I'm very sorry to disappoint you-"

"You better be!" Chika snapped at the maid as she leaned onto Vert's desk in a very annoyed manner, "How much resources and time did you waste traveling the world and causing Lady Vert to worry!?"

"Chika! You're stepping out of line and insulting Vert's long time and loyal compatriot, apologize!" Phil snapped back at the Oracle, who grunted furiously and left the room, rudely and harshly bumping Cave on her way out.

"Chika!" Phil chased after the deranged Oracle, while Cave and Vert stood alone in the office.

"Sorry about that Cave…" The CPU nestled her head into Cave's chest. Both individuals were highly stressed and… heated. "Though… surely you must've missed me during your trip… shall I give you a _warm welcome_?" Vert closed her eyes and titled her head slightly sideways, leaning in to kiss the maid, only for her lips to come into contact with what seemed to be coarse paper.

"Not now my Lady… surely you must seen the news lately, correct?"

Vert opened her eyes to see a bundle of black and white paper bundled together in a rubber band touching against her lips. Upon unraveling the latest headline, Vert grew weary and discomforted by the latest addition to Dengekiko's latest new Journal.

 _"A dark age for the land of Purple?"_ The headline illustrated a picture of Iris Heart appearing in all the screens across Planeptune, declaring martial law. More images of Lastation soldiers marching through Planeptune streets littered the new article.

"Oh my goodness, this isn't annexation! This is an invasion!" Vert threw down the newspaper on her desk and sat on the floor, with her back against the desk. Cave instinctively drew out her lighter before the CPU could even pull out her cigar.

"You always know me Cave… don't you? Heh…" Solemnly, the CPU sat down and looked up at the ceiling fan which twitched back and forth. "Cave… you don't believe Lastation Is going to do the same to us… do you?"

"I can't say for sure… but still… we must keep our guard…" Tired and exhausted, the Maid fell asleep and leaned onto the CPU's shoulder… The CPU, also tired and drained, fell asleep as well. The couple slept softly, dreaming of a better Leanbox for tomorrow.

 _~Leanbox Slums Hospital, Nepgear~_

"Son of a whore! My stomach's killing me!" Nepgear eased herself off the bed and grabbed onto a nearby IV stand, lumbering clumsily toward the window. "What the hell? Leanbox? What are we doing here?"

"I'd be a bit more grateful about your environment Ge-Ge… Just as my grandpa always said. There's no place like home. Except for the strip club down the street."

The wounded laughed drudgingly inside, hiding her obvious smile in the rays of light from the window.

"Ge-Ge! Stop staring at the window you silly girl! You're going to hurt your eyes!" Compa hurried to the ignorant candidate and rested her onto the armchair next to the T.V in the leftmost center of the room.

"Goddamn… if my stomach isn't killing me… then my goddamn head feels like its ripping open. Compa, can you get me a damn cigar? A beer would also be fine…"

"Ge-Ge! We're in a hospital! They also confiscated all your cigarettes and through them away, at my request of course~"

"Compa! What the hell?!"

"Smoking is bad for you Ge-Ge, and I don't care how bad your withdrawals are! I'm not going to let you influence Iffy to smoke any more. You got that missy?"

"Oh for fucks sake, whatever. Can you at least get me some breakfast?"

"Sorry Ge-Ge… this hospital thrives on volunteering efforts and is not actually funded by the government… so they're pretty tight on luxuries…"

"Oh? But a goddamn T.V is more important? Who the hell even watches cable anymore?"

"Silly Ge-Ge… this T.V has access to the internet and all sorts of websites like: Neptube, NepChan, Neppit, , Neppad, and Nephub"

"Oh lord I could use that last one- Wait! So you're telling I can access the internet, but I can't get some fucking breakfast?"

"That's right Ge-Ge! Just like my grandpa said… The country of Leanbox is a lot like a hot girl with no personality, always focusing on keeping with her looks, make-up, and whatever popular trends are going on at the time, never considering the values of a long-term relationship or building a personality that's actually attractive."

"Okay, there is _no_ way in fuck you grandpa actually said that!"

"He did!"

"Nuh-uh"

"Uh-Huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-Huh!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"What the actual _fuck_ are you two doing?" IF had just walked into the room to witness the very immature and childlike banter between the candidate and the nurse.

Compa and Nepgear quickly pointed their fingers at each other, citing the other as the source of blame. "She started it!"

"I don't care who started it! We're leaving, Nepgear, you've just been decommissioned. We gotta leave in a couple minutes."

"What the hell! I just woke up!"

"Sorry Gear, but the hospital needs all it's space for patients from the FN epidemic."

"Are you shitting me? Whatever! Compa, where's my sailor outfit?"

"Its still in the laundry, let me get it for you!" Compa blissfully skipped out of the room and patted IF on the back on the way out."

"That Compa's always cheery, isn't she?"

"Yeah… you two are totally banging…"

"What the hell!?" IF almost destroyed the doorknob out of embarrassment and rage. Nepgear's sudden accusation caused the former guild agent's heartrate to skyrocket.

"It's true… I can totally see it in your face. C'mon! Just confess to her already!"

"I'm not d-dating Compa you buffoon! We're just friends!"

" _Friends_ huh? _Sure_ IF, and I respect my older sister as a CPU and a person. I wonder what obvious lie Compa would add to this?"

"Wait, Nepgear. Are you the younger sister?"

"Yeah… crazy right? Despite how I look, my scum-sucking-sack-of-shit-older-sister is not only shorter physically, but also mentally! Who would've thought?"

"I think you're both pretty immature." IF thought to herself. "Well, we can talk more later… let's get you dressed and out of here. Our first stop is finding a way to negotiate with CPU Green Heart."

"Oh that bimbo? Geez, I mean, I guess she can help…"

"Nepgear! C'mon, this is serious! We can't let Iris Heart continue to rule Planeptune or else Lastation is going to annex the entire country!"

Before Nepgear could retort, another nurse ran into the room, sweating nervously and grabbing onto IF's shoulder.

"Uh… miss? Its your friend! She started spaz out and seize up!"

"What the hell! Compa!"

The nurse and IF ran out of the room to chase for their injured friend.

"Oh what the fuck! IF! Don't just leave me here!" The candidate furiously dragged herself slowly across musky hospital floor.

 _~A little earlier; Hospital Laundry, Compa~_

"Ah… where did I put Ge-Ge's outfit? There!" The whirling of the dryer stopped just in time as Compa reached. "Well, despite being ripped and torn, the outfit's still surprisingly clean. Let me just put this-"

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

"Oh? What's this? An email? From an unknown person?" The nurse carelessly opened her enigmatic email, only for her vision to be consumed with a myriad of distorted light. Herb body, nerves, muscles… everything felt numb in place. She couldn't do anything but continue to stare at the light. Her mind felt as if it were dissolving into the thin air. Soon, everything was consumed. She couldn't see the phone, the hospital, the laundry, anything. All that was in her vision was light. Light that consumed her entire soul.

The feeling was blissful, Compa couldn't describe it. Everything around her was white… she was naked in a soft field of flowers; Their petals rubbed against her legs smoothly, the air smelled of roses, and in the distance stood a luscious brunette who was also covered in naught but the open air.

"Iffy? What are you doing here?"

Compa walked closer to the woman standing on the edge. Just as the nurse reached a short distance behind her, she turned around with a heartfelt smile on her face.

"Iffy… you're naked… me and you. What are we doing here?"

The brunette said nothing and walked close up to Compa, kissing her on the lips and wrapping her arms around the nurse's body. The two embraced each other for awhile before Compa had to push her back and breathe.

"Iffy! What are we doing here? I-"

Compa couldn't continue speaking as IF pulled both of them toward the ground. The impact their bodies made to ground caused hundreds of white petals to scatter into the open air surrounding them. IF's tongue violently circled around Compa's. The nurse couldn't resist. She didn't want to resist. Why would she? The woman she loved held her into an embrace. She didn't care where she was or what was happening. She only cared about one thing. Pure, carnal, lust for IF.

The two continued to indulge themselves onto the other's body. Engulfed in pleasure, they two scissored and licked each other as white petals drizzled down onto the floor and over the heated couple. The concupiscent sensation that circulated throughout Compa's brain made her numb and mind broken. She wanted nothing more than to experience this for eternity. She came closer and closer to climaxing, before everything went black.

 _~Minutes later; Hospital room 3A, IF~_

IF watched in horror as her friend before her horrifically twitched and jittered while under the restraints of the hospital bed. A stream of foam and saliva poured from the Nurse's mouth as she continued to seize and pull against the belts that held her down.

"Oh god… Compa!" Holding her hands to her mouth, tears started to wring from the guild agent. She couldn't do anything to save her friend. She could only watch as Compa suffered through mental carnage and evisceration.

"It's all… because of this" Nepgear, who had taken off her hospital gown and donned her ripped sailor outfit, entered Compa's room with the Nurse's phone in one hand, and a walking cane in the other. A random flashing of seizure-inducing lights flashed on and off from the small screen.

"Nepgear! Don't look at that! That'll-"

The candidate crushed the smartphone with her hands effortlessly. As she opened her hand, bits and fragments of fried machinery fell out, leaving open a small red chip that was buried inside the device.

"Gear… what is that?"

"It's a chip designed in Leanbox. I would know. I've worked with this kind of technology before."

"Leanbox? She bought this phone in Planeptune!" IF was frustrated and confused with what she was hearing.

"Right. And when?"

"Recently actually. A couple days before her clinic got attacked. Why?" Remembering the horrible things that happened at the clinic scared IF, adding to the already intense anxiety that built up from Compa's seizure.

"I thought as much. Any smartphone made in the past year has been retrofitted with this chip regardless of where it was made. I noticed it too in my own phone, but I managed to take it out and replace it with my own.

"What the hell! What does the chip do?"

"Normally, the FN drug couldn't even be visualized with older models of smartphones. But this… well… this chip, it allows for enhanced… everything. Enhanced internet speed, loading time, graphics. You name it. Problem starts when such advanced technology can create things that the human brain isn't meant to see. The human brain can't handle certain frequencies and thus the human eye has been designed to block them. But this chip artificially recreates those frequencies and allows it to be seen normally. Think of it like eating a solid rock. The human body has been designed to _not_ digest solid rocks and vomit them back out, but if I had a drug that could bypass such systems, a human could eat the rock and the body would do nothing to prevent the rock from entering the system, possibly killing them." Nepgear looked back to Compa, struggling and pulling against the restraints that held her down.

IF banged against the wall in frustration. "Gear… does this mean that there's no cure for Compa?"

"As of now… Leanbox hasn't found any way to help those afflicted by it.

"What kind of monster would create such a thing? And why? How the hell could the human race possibly benefit from such a thing?" Defeated, distressed, and despaired, IF slumped into the corner or the room, with a full view of her mentally deteriorating friend.

"I know… Only a pure nihilist would create such a thing. A person who despises human life. And its no coincidence that they started using the frequencies in Leanbox."

"You not trying to say that someone from Lastation made this thing, are you?"

Nepgear pulled back her hair and dropped the chip below her foot, grinding it into red dust. "Would you really be surprised?"

 _~Lowee's Basilicom, Neptune~_

"Neptune! You dare show yourself in my country! Bringing along Lastation's Oracle as well as hundreds of their armed forces onto my border! What say you, vile scum!?" CPU White Heart had placed Neptune inside Lowee's Basilicom prison.

"Nothing much really, But I'm starving like a mother-Nepper. Aren't you supposed to feed prisoners of war or something like that? Isn't that a rule in the Gettysburg convention or something like that?" Neptune casually laid back down in her prison cell with her arms crossed behind her head.

"Silence! You insane buffoon!"

"Geez, just asking. Also why didn't you imprison Falcom?!"

The red-headed adventurer, who was kindly let off by Lowee's government and allowed asylum for the time being, casually relaxed in a nearby restaurant with Neptune's wallet which was graciously stolen by CPU White Heart.

"She's not important now! What matters is-"

"Wait a second Blanny! Don't tell you imprisoned me because you wanted to see me again-"

"I was literally trying to kill you a couple days ago you imbecile!"

"Yeah, yeah that's because we were fighting as CPUs! Not as friends silly~"

"Neptune, your ability of mental gymnastics continues to elude me. But you do not flatter me."

"Oooh that sounded deep. You plan that line just for me?"

"Any more Assumptions Neptune! And I'll rip your ass a new one!"

"Huh really? I'd like to see you try that! Even though back in celestial remains, you had to have Green Heart carry your ass against me. You're not getting old now, are you Blanc?"

"Is that a proposal for a duel, Neptune?"

"What else could it be sweet-cheeks?"

Neptune effortlessly kicked open the irons bars on her jail cell and stretched profusely. "Give me a second Blanny. My back's killing me AHH!" *Pop* "There we go! All right!" Neptune summoned her wooden katana and flipped her hair back and put on her two D-pads.

"What the hell? We're you just playing with me the entire time?" Blanc furiously gripped her hammer and revved the rocket, its flames enlightening the entire prison hall.

"Not exactly. I was tired as hell after fighting all those Lastation goons. But…" Neptune walked to the nearby table where her gun holster was and strapped it under her shoulder. "…Now I'm motivated! So lets make a deal Blanc. You kick my ass? You get to kill me. I kick your ass? You have to help me regicide Iris Heart's ass. Deal?

"Neptune… you fool…" Blanc charged at CPU with all her might, charging in for the kill.

 _~Lowee restaurant, Falcom~_

"Yeah… that Neptune girl is real peculiar. You say you've met her before?" Falcom sat comfortably in her sofa with a stomach full of a delight full. Accompanying her was Lowee's Oracle, Mina.

"Of course, I was there when I first saw Neptune and Blanc err… "embraced" each other." Mina felt nostalgic as she remembered back all those years ago when Neptune first arrived at Lowee's basilicom. Then she remembered Iris Heart and how she assassinated Lowee's president, how Black Heart rose to power… so much happened in so little time all those years ago. "Neptune and Blanc were really intimate for the time their relationship happened… but then… I don't know what happened. One day, Blanc came home and simply said that she cut ties with Neptune. And that she left her for good. It was a sorrowful time for her I could tell… but she never explained to me what happened and well… that's simply none of my business.

"Geez… Blanc really just left Neptune like that? That's awfully cold of her, I guess it makes sense why she runs the country."

"No please, don't get me wrong. Blanc is still a very wonderful person, but whenever Neptune seems come up, she just gets so irrationally angry, she even lashes out at Rom and Ram."

"Holy hell… Man… I need to ask Neptune what the hell happened. You know where she is Mina?"

"I think she's in the basilicom's-"

*Crash*

"Jesus Christ!" Falcom grabbed Mina and flipped the table over and used it as cover, knocking down the silverware and decorations over the floor and onto themselves.

"Neptune!?"

The purple haired girl had been smashed through the restaurant's roof, creating a large pile of debris below her. "Yeah! Its me! Just give me a sec- Oh shit!" Neptune rolled to her left, just barely dodging Blanc's hammer which flew threw the same hole that Neptune crashed through, except the sheer size and weight of the hammer created an even larger hole in the celling.

"NEPTUNE!" CPU White Heart crashed through the ceiling right behind her hammer, demolishing whatever was left of the roof of the restaurant, "Neptune! Get up! Where was your cocky and confident demeanor from before huh? Why aren't you transforming?

"Geez Blanny, cut me some goddamn slack. That bimbo Noire stole my damn HDD and-"

"Noire stole your HDD? Are you playing with me? Neptune!?"

"Trust me Blanny, if I could transform, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Neptune reached out her arm to summon her wooden katana, only to realize that it had onto a stove in the restaurant's kitchen, setting her sword ablaze. "Son of a Nep! That's my sword!" The injured and clearly out-everything'd CPU ran into the kitchen to grab her blade, when she reached the kitchen stove, her entire sword was set into a fiery inferno. Dammit! Looks like I'll just have to man up!" Neptune recklessly grabbed her sword from the scorching stovetop, gripping her blade ever tightly to manage through the scorching pain.

"Neptune! Get back here!" Blanc smashed her way through the kitchen, destroying all the appliances and active machinery in the room, creating an even bigger fire that started to consume the room.

When Falcom saw smoke pouring out from the hole that Blanc made, she immediately warned all the other citizens in the restaurant to evacuate.

"I need to bet to Blanc" Mina ran toward the scorching kitchen only for Falcom to hold her back.

"Are you crazy! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Blanc is my responsibility! She is acting out of control and I need to stop her! Now!" Shaking off Falcom's hand, she ran into the kitchen, amidst the fire and flames.

Neptune hid behind a pillar, covering her mouth to hide her coughing. The carbon monoxide wouldn't kill her, but It'd still fill up her lungs. Any noise she made would alert Blanc who was searching savagely for Neptune.

"Damn you Neptune, why the hell did you even come to my country? Huh!?"

Ignoring the Ice Queen's angry demands, Neptune peeked around the corner and saw the back of her ferocious hunter. "Those wings… Nepgear told me about those processor units… hmm… I this might work. Exiting her cover, Neptune banged her sword against the burning floor to alert White Heart of her position. "Hey Blanny! You want me? C'mon you wimp! Do your worst!"

Blanc, falling for Neptune's obvious trap, charged at the girl with the wooden katana and swung at her with all her strength and might.

Neptune, tricking Blanc with finesse and ease, jumped over the ravage CPU and struck her flaming wooden katana at the center of CPU Blanc's back unit wing, destroying it effortlessly and knocking the CPU out of her transformed state, dropping her to the floor. Blanc stood back up and clutched her wounds, her icy white hair changing into the brunette color Neptune was so used to seeing.

"What the hell!? How did you-"

"Well! Would you look at that! Turns out all that rambling Nepgear spouted at me awhile back about faulty processor units actually came in handy. Whatdya know?"

"Faulty unit? Whatever do you mean!?"

"Your wings have a chip installed that operates it visual functions, problem is, that chip is highly explosive, it's the same chips they use on all our smartphones. All you need is some fire and enough force and then… Kaboom! Goodbye processor unit. Its why I didn't have a flight unit back in the celestian remains, good ol lil sis was trying to make me a new set with that chip."

"Neptune… you clever son of a bitch, thing is… I can still fight!" Blanc summoned her hammer again and charged at Neptune. "AHHH!"

"All-right let's finish this!" Nepgear readied her stance and prepared to parry Blanc's attack.

But before either weapons could clash each other, a figure appeared in the room, unleashing a strong gust of energy in all directions, blowing out the raging fire and knocking the 2 CPU into the other ends of the room.

"What the hell! Who the fuck are you!" Black pushed her hammer against the ground to support herself, when her vision cleared, she saw a sight feared the most, a person she feared. Someone she feared more than death itself.

Neptune pushed herself off the ground, when she saw who was before her, she instinctively clutched her stomach, for old wounds had been re-opened, both literally and figuratively.

"Noire!" The two CPUs shouted.

The woman in the center of the room towered over the two weakened CPUs. Her menacing red-eyes and twin-tails juxtaposed the very short hair and petite physique of the other two girls in the room. First, she turned to her left, notching Neptune and raising her eyebrow in surprise. "Well well… I see you've managed to survive this far Neptune… color me impressed, I thought without your little… HDD form…" Noire summoned Neptune's HDD core that she had stolen from her, taunting the weakened CPU with her spoils of war "… I thought you would've been eaten up in Planeptune's outskirts."

"Noire, you bastard!" Neptune raised up high whatever was left of her sword and charged at Noire, only for her wounds to sting her stamina and strength, causing her to collapse to the floor.

"Tch… pathetic" Noire walked up toward Neptune and dug the hell of her foot into the back of Neptune head. "Look at you, before I said you weren't worthy of being a CPU but now? I get it now. You're a perfect representation of your worthless, degenerate, and _weak_ country. Die!" Noire raised her foot in the air, preparing herself to curb stomp Neptune's head into that ground, only to feel a light tap hit her shoulder.

"Noire! Leave the dunce alone and face me!" Blanc was pushing down her hammer against Noire's body with all her might, her hammer being throttled to the max at full strength. "Rnngh! Noire! I'm going to break your goddamn neck!"

The smug and dominant CPU flicked Blanc's hammer away, causing it to launch through the roof and far away outside. The sudden impact of being disarmed left Blanc in a confusing haze, unable to tell fright from left, that was until she found Noire's rapier lodged through her stomach.

"You-you son of a…" But before Blanc could finish her insult, Noire instantly pulled out her blade, coloring the charred kitchen with Blanc's blood. The stab wound left Blanc to the floor, weak, hopeless, and dazed.

"I think it's about time I finished this. Considering how pathetic and just… _weak_ you are. I imagine you would be needing _this_ anymore." Noire pulled out a darkly colored scythe, the same one she used to steal Neptune HDD form.

Neptune, bleeding horribly from her mouth, used all her strength to scream. "BLANC! RUN!"

But the defeated Brunette couldn't lift a finger. She could only sit in agony as she felt the scythe cut through her soul, ripping away her power. The sudden slice left the brunette unconscious and dormant onto the charred floor.

Noire, raised her hand in the air, she now had _two_ HDD cores. "Its about time I got my second… now… there's only one left go…"

"No you don't!" Mina, who had been hiding behind a kitchen stove, pulled out her handgun, firing aimlessly at Noire, her aim was a mess due to a mix of anxiety, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke.

Noire chuckled as Mina's bullets deflected and bounced off her body. Tired, and wishing to leave as soon as she could, Noire pulled out her revolver and instantly punctured a hole through Mina's chest, knocking her down effortlessly.

"Oh no! MINA!" Neptune crawled toward the bleeding Oracle, both were wounded, except one was human with much higher mortality. Neptune, dragging her bleeding body across the coarse floor which burned and charred her clothes and skin, stinging her already open wounds, could barely reach the Oracle to apply pressure over her bleeding. "C'mon Mina! Stay with me! Blanc needs you! She going to need you more than ever right now!" As Neptune's hands became even further soaked in blood, she looked up one last time to see Noire cut open a cross into the room with her rapier, opening a portal back to Lastation's basilicom.

As Neptune applied pressured of Mina's wound, she felt her body getting weaker and weaker, until she couldn't maintain her strength anymore, passing out from the excruciating pain. In a last ditch effort, she dropped her body over Mina's wound, in hope of it applying some pressure over the bullet hole. "Nepgear… Histoire… Mom… help me… please".

Falcom and a whole group of Lowee's police force entered the room right at the tail end of the chaos. Noticing her friend unconscious on the floor, she shook her back and forth, at desperate attempt to wake her up. "Neptune! Wake up! C'mon Nep! Please! We need you!...

NEP!"

 **End of Act 2**

 **A.N: Bloody hell that was long, for me at least. I think I need a break from this series. I should really update my One-Shots which I've been procrastinating on. Also should focus on making Omega devotion a tad better. See ya'll in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8: Come, Black Death

_A.N: After thinking about it, I've decided to work full time on NMC instead of spreading myself thin on multiple fics. It'll help me mentally and improve consistency. Sorry Noire, you and your friends are going to have to sit it out for a while._

 _Story So Far:_

 _Iris Heart as Plutia revealed to Histoire that she served under Lastation as Planeptune's proxy CPU as her way of vengeance towards Planeptune's human government that had betrayed and humiliated her. Histoire tries to reason with Plutia, who had planned to threaten the other countries with nuclear weapons with the demand that Planeptune's human government, who has since fled the country due to her takeover, be returned to her promptly. Before Histoire can fully calm down Plutia, Lid approaches and takes Histoire to Lastation, leaving Plutia to lament and reflect on her life as a CPU._

 _Vio arrives at Leanbox and demands that Vert, the CPU of Leanbox, cooperate with Lastation to apprehend three highly wanted criminals: IF, Compa, and Nepgear. Vert uncaringly agrees as she is more concerned about the spread of the FN epidemic. The FN drug being a malicious digital virus that infects devices and manipulates frequencies of light to render its victims brain dead._

 _Nepgear wakes up from her wounds after the battle with Lid, with a warm welcome from Compa. IF urges the two to leave, only for Compa to end up seeing the FN-drug, putting her under violent seizures and knocking her into a coma. Nepgear reveals that the FN drug is the result of a fault in Leanbox's technology that's being taken advantage of, the two set of for CPU Green Heart, to see if they can work together to find a cure._

 _Neptune challenges CPU White Heart, with the demand that Blanc will help Neptune if Neptune beats her in a duel. The deal awry when Noire interferes when both CPUs were weakened after grievous fighting. Neptune, still suffering from her wounds, is unable to stop Noire from stealing Blanc's HDD form. The Lastation CPU leaves victorious, leaving both Blanc and Neptune gravely wounded and defeated, as well as nearly killing the country's Oracle, Mina._

 _Now:_

 _1 week later, Noire awaits in her basilicom. Waiting for Lid and Vio to finish their interrogations and negotiations with Histoire. For, Noire needed Planeptune's oracle to process the CPU Memories she had stolen. The CPU definitely expected resistance from the oracle, but to go through an entire week without drop a single word, that had impressed her. Frustrated and annoyed by the oracle's defiance, Noire heads to her office, contemplating her progress._

Act 3: Omega Rising

Chapter 8:

 _~Lastation Basilicom, Noire~_

The cold-hearted CPU stoically walked down the halls of Lastation's basilicom. The random workers and staff saluting her as she walked by. The entire populous of Lastation exalted Noire, she had been the only CPU to successfully overthrow a human government without going insane or destroying her country in the process, very unlike the past CPUs before her like Rei Ryghts and Uzume Tennouboshi. Now, Lastation found itself free from corporate control and the meddling of big corporations. Now, Lastation was free from the monetary and materialistic empire that had once slaved them. Noire had given the people of Lastation hope, hope that humanity would not have to suffer from its own hands of greed and avarice, instead, worshipping a goddess that guaranteed hope, safety, and prosperity.

As she entered the hallway to her office, she lamented of the portraits that were hung across the walls of violet and black. Portraits of comrades she had long since lost, she especially felt weary over a picture of a woman with a large bracelet, and a gothic Lolita dress. That woman was someone she had cared for, but then she quickly snapped out of her sentimental trance. The CPU didn't have time to lament of mourn, especially over those who have long since passed. She has no need for them, and further contemplating would only muddle her mindset, her focus. She had one goal… and one goal only.

Not too long ago, Histoire had coldly rejected any form of cooperation with Noire, she refused to work with someone she viewed as a corrupt fascist.

"I'll never work with you, monster! You unjustly stole two CPU fragments – god knows how – and murdered your own democratic government". Histoire's line repeatedly rang through Noire's head. She expected rejection, but accusation? She was a competitor with the other two nations, surely Histoire should've expected something along these lines to happen.

Sitting solemnly in her office, Noire bent backward, reclining her chair, and staring at the blank ceiling of her office. "This place is a helluvalot more quiet than It used to be. It's a shame really. Ryuka… Wac… Sango… so many of you bastards long gone. Ah! What the hell am I doing? I need a goddamn cig." Reaching into her pockets, the CPU found that her case happened to be empty. "Son of a- where the hell is Kei when you need her?"

*Creak*

Vio entered Noire's office, massaging the temples on her head as she was trying to ease the migraine, she still had from witnessing Leanbox's environment.

"Ah, Vio… you've returned. Has Vert agreed to cooperate with us?"

"Yeah she has… with payment of course. That pig!"

"Well yes… I expected that capitalist _scum_ to take advantage of our situation. Nonetheless, has the clone been completed yet?"

"My apologies Boss, processing, copying, and extracting the coding from the CPU memories is a very grueling task"

"If Histoire was helping you process those memories, would the process be faster?"

"Exponentially, Boss."

"I see, time is clearly not on our side. Sorry to work you so soon after your return, Vio, but I need to interrogate Histoire once more"

"Of course Boss, shall I bring Lid along to help you?"

"No. And actually, make sure she doesn't. By any means, do not let Lid enter the interrogation room or interfere. Understood?"

Vio grew suspicious from Noire's demand, usually she'd always be accompanied by Lid. The agent's mastery at torture and near mind-breaking interrogating would be an invaluable asset for Histoire's questioning. Why Noire would want to enter the interrogation alone eluded her. But nonetheless, Vio was loyal to Noire's demands and messaged Lastation staff to prepare a questioning room.

"I understand Boss, will there be anything else?"

"Yeah, do you have a cig? My head's killing me."

Vio chuckled at the CPUs menial ache and pulled out an entire case of Lastation brand exclusive cigars, packed with 8,000 metric tons (roughly 17 million pounds) of tabaco compiled and compressed in each Belicoso-shaped cigarette in both the wrap and the drugs inside. Such a devastating amount would kill any human in sub-nanoseconds, but Noire felt naught but a small kick from her first inhale.

"I bring it every time in case you need it, Boss."

As Noire packed the monstrous cigar in her mouth, Vio unfolded her lighter, such a high amount of tabaco would require a fire of centillions of kelvins, far beyond any human known temperature. As Vio held up the black flame toward the end of the cigar, both the laws of physics as well as the open air disintegrated into mesh for a couple seconds before returning to normal.

"You always were the smart one out of all of us Vio, I am glad to have ally like you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an annoying Oracle to deal with now. Prepare some whiskey for me when I return, the real homemade stuff you've always had for us, alright?"

"Whatever you need Boss…"

As Noire left her office, Vio stood there, perplexed and amused by her Boss. She was very different, but somehow created such a beatific atmosphere around her. Was it love? Or intrigue that ran through the scientist's mind? She was a professional researcher after all, despite all the years she had spent with Noire, even she knew that she still had some secrets within, secrets that Vio dreamed she could explore.

*Creak* From a separate entrance to the office, Lid had entered, with Kei over her shoulder.

"Ah! You finally found our Oracle! It was about time she finally came home."

"Jesus Christ!" Kei yelled as she was casually dropped down on the floor, clutching her stomach and curling up.

"Lid! Did you have to drop her so roughly? You could've given her a concussion!"

"I found her in a forest, nearby Lowee. She was drinking a bottle of piss and feeding off maggots inside a nearby tree trunk… disgusting"

Kei lifted her malnourished and filthy body off the ground, her hair was a mess and filled with dirt and scrap. "That son of a bitch Neptune brings me to Lowee so White Heart can interrogate me, only to fucking leave me stranded in the middle of fucking nowhere to survive on my own after White Heart imprisons the purple-haired bastard! I couldn't take refuge in Lowee since I'm a goddamn government employee from another nation. Fucking hell… tell me, things have been better back here, right?"

"If its any consolation, Noire managed to capture White Heart's CPU memory."

"Wait! Noire crossed a country's border!?"

"Technically she teleported into the country, so she legally didn't cross any border."

"So… you're telling me, that I've been starving and suffering, FOR NOTHING!?" Kei started to pull out her hair from frustration.

"Basically." Lid and Vio said at the same time.

"Son of a bitch, I need a goddamn shower! And a dinner, I'm talking a _huge_ dinner here! Like, with bitches with chocolate on their nipples and entire _floors_ of food. I am a war hero Goddamit!"

"We aren't even in a time of war."

"And all you did was get captured and starve yourself when you didn't have to."

"FUCK OFF!" Kei stampeded out of the office, only to collapse and pass out of pain right on top of the front mat.

*Sigh* Vio pulled out her radio that connected her with Lastation's staff. "This is Omega-1, I'm going to need medical team up here."

"Where's Lady Noire?" Lid asked the scientist sternly.

"She's busy."

"Is that so? With what?"

"She didn't tell me. She said it was something personal."

"Personal? Is that right?"

"Yes, now if you'll excuse me-"

"Oh Vio! Can't you realize how nonsensical you sound? Noire has not only captured two CPU memories, taken ahold of Planeptune, soon to take hold of Lowee, has multiple advantages over Leanbox, complete dominion of her country and complete exaltation of her people, but has also acquired the ability of negative share energy. Please, the only _possible_ thing she could be working on is interrogating Histoire. So tell me, why could Lady Noire _possibly_ be doing? Hm?"

"That is neither my or your own place to meddle with, _Lid_. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some whiskey to prepare, I could bring some for you if you'd like."

"No thank you, I have some unresolved business with a certain Guild Agent and her idiot nurse friend." Lid cracked her knuckles and headed for the exit, only for Vio to interrupt her.

"You know, I recently just teleported Noire from here to Lowee, maybe you could test my portal from here to Leanbox. And since we're in cooperation with the capitalist dogs, you won't have to worry about legal crap. How about it sister?"

"Hmm…"

 _~Leanbox café, IF and Nepgear~_

"So, there's been nothing. Huh?" IF, sulking down in her seat, half crying and half screaming inside, anxiously drank her coffee as she took a whiff from her cigarette. Compa's recent incident had left the guild agent in shambles. Constant shaking, sleep loss, and mental breakdowns. She couldn't help but blame herself for the situation with Compa.

"Well IF, we've working our asses off for no reason! The _entire_ country of Leanbox has been unable to find a cure, how much more two idiots that just got here illegally?"

"Geez Gear, you're a real spirit-lifter…" The guild agent smashed her cigarette into the nearby ashtray and and downed the last of her coffee "… you got another cig Gear? I could really-"

"Jesus Christ IF, that's your fifteenth one in half an hour."

"Please Gear, my nerves are starting to shake again…"

"I'm almost out of mine, and I'm sure as hell not giving my last one's to you. Just suck up the withdrawals and quit crying dammit!"

"Aww c'mon gear I just want-"

*PWOOSH*

A circle of light appeared next to the two girls, scaring off the rest of the citizens in the café. As the light ceased, a familiar cybernetic woman exited the portal.

"Lid!" IF smashed her ashtray and pulled out her handgun, carelessly firing a shot at the General's head, only for her bullet to be diced into particles by Lid's High Frequency blades.

"The hell are you doing here?" Nepgear held her hand over her stomach remembering the devastating wound Lid had once left on her. "If it's a fight, please spare us the bullshit, neither of us are in the mood."

"You apathy and cynicism won't save you from my superior strength! Now… where's that pesky Nurse of yours? This battle wouldn't be fair without her I must say."

"Well asshat, if you really need to know, she's in a goddamn coma. She's been in one for a week and neither we, nor the rest of this useless country can do anything about it! I'm really _not_ in a good fucking mood right now you annoying goddamn cunt. I swear to god, if you come one step fucking closer to me, I WILL RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" IF's arm grew jittering as she screamed at Lid with her handgun coming closer to the general's head.

"That won't be necessary..."

"Huh!?" Both Nepgear and IF found themselves confused by Lid's sudden proposal of Neutrality.

"I had heard rumors about the FN drug, but never knew anyone who had fallen under the effects of it…"

"Of course you haven't fuckhead, Lastation doesn't have imports from other countries, everything there is made in country, in house. Lucky you, you bastards don't have to deal with the FN-Epidemic… it's kinda funny how your biggest competitor, Leanbox, happens to be the source of this crisis… "

"Are you proposing that Lastation is responsible for the FN epidemic?"

"Who else would it be, jackass?" Nepgear grew angrier and slid back the handle on her rifle.

"Preposterous! We as a nation are ruthless against our enemies, no doubt. But to involve and harm innocent civilians would be cowardly and-"

"Oh you fucking hypocrite! How about that goddamn monster back at the Clinic!? The monster _your_ scientist was so proud of! You even acknowledged its existence back when you destroyed Compa's house!"

"I admit that Vio's actions were out of line. But manager of the clinic happened to be an… annoyance to us…"

"Oh? Is that so? Why was he such a pain in the ass that you had to involve the lives other citizens as well!?

"He was Noire's former secretary. A secretary that betrayed her and worked for her enemy, Affimojas, during the Capitalist scourge of Lastation. A time most dreadful for us. His death was required for Lastation's safety and well… possibly even Planeptune's. I didn't plan for innocents to be involved but Vio insisted that the monster could differentiate between target and non-target!"

"Wow… really… that just sounds _so_ convenient for you! Doesn't it!? What's next? You're going to tell me that CPU White Heart is my older sister's ex-girlfriend? Hm? Another crazy coincidence that just happens to work in your favor. Huh?"

"I understand you two despise me, and you have all the reason to do so. But now that I can see that the FN-drug is a tangible threat to the both of us, I propose that we work together to-"

"W-w-w-w-wait a fucking moment!" IF's eye started to twitch erratically, such a high amount of fury and frustration started to rip at her mental state. "You! Want to tell me! Yes you! The son of a bitch who burned my friend'ss house down and stabbed the CPU Candidate next to me! You! Want us! Me and Nepgear! To work! With you!? Is that correct?"

"Affirmative"

"NO!" IF screamed at the top of her lungs, the sheer force of sounds vibrations made Lid's hair fly back a small amount.

"I expected as much, but I'm going to put aside our battle for now… I must find the source of the epidemic, and how to stop the FN-Drug." Lid sped off into the streets of Leanbox, presumably heading toward Leanbox's basilicom.

"So uh… we going after her" Nepgear rested her rifle of her shoulder, half of her wanted to fight, the other half wanted to go home and smoke a cig while masturbating.

"To be honest, I can't be fucked to walk toward the basilicom. Green Heart can easily deal with her…" IF crashed in exhaustion back in her chair and grabbed a nearby new magazine, propping it right over her head and fell fast asleep.

"Geez IF, don't worry… we'll find a way to save her. We have to…"

 _~Many years ago; ?, Neptune~_

"Mom… MOM! Where are you!?" Little Neptune found herself lost inside her burning manor, carrying her baby sister through the mulching flames that consumed her homestead.

"Mom *Cough* *Cough* Mom! Please! Where-" Before Neptune could cry out for longer, suddenly, a woman with dark blue pigtails ran through the smoke before her.

"Mom… what's happening?" Neptune collapsed to her knees in agony, the smoke shrouded her lungs and the fire scalded her skin.

Neptune's mom brought her closer and hugged her tightly, caressing her purple hair. "Neptune, darling. I love you- Always will! But you must run, now! Far… far from Planeptune, you hear me! Go to the east! Go to Lowee, bring you and your baby sister there okay?"

"Mom! I don't want to go anywhere without you-"

"Neptune please! Listen to me… I'm not going to lie you darling; it's going to be rough; it's going to be agonizing. But you must leave. You must run far from here and never return! Not until much time has passed. Gamindustri is a terrible place, I know! But you're a CPU!"

Neptune's mother picked her daughter off the ground and stood her up straight, dusting off her shoulders and brushing away her messy hair.

"You have the ability to make this world a better place! I know you have it in you darling. You could be strongest CPU in this entire continent, but you have to keep up your head, never look down! Do you understand me!? Never _ever_ doubt yourself, or your abilities! Stay optimistic darling… it's the only thing that can save us in this god forsaken continent. Now go! Run to Lowee with Nepgear, okay?"

Curses and banging echoed on the other side of a blockaded door. "Uzume! Open up! Your crimes against the people of Planeptune will _not_ go unpunished!"

"Mom what is that-"

"Neptune! Listen to me! We're running out of time…" Uzume walked up to a nearby window and shattered it seamlessly, crushing the glass shards into dust, making way for Neptune to escape.

"Mom… why can't you come with us? Its going to be scary without you…"

"I know it will darling… but I can't be seen with you… not ever again. I'm sorry. I'm a criminal… nothing more."

"No! Mom! You're not a monster! You're my-"

"Neptune! Go! I won't ask you again!"

The young CPU stepped back in fear, wishing to no longer anger her mother. She stepped over the windowsill and ran past the daunting trees under the bright stars. After gaining a rather sizable distance she looked back in horror of her home, completely eviscerated in a fiery inferno.

"Lowee… mom, why do you want me to go there?" Neptune continued to wander further into the hopeless night… searching for refuge, and safety.

 _~Present Day; Lowee, Neptune~_

When Neptune woke up, Falcom was sitting next to her, resting her head on Neptune's tummy. "Falcom… Falcom!"

Neptune shook the red-head's shoulder until she abruptly woke up and rubbed her eyes for a good second before realizing that Neptune had woken up from a week-long nap.

"Neptune! You're awake! Oh my goodness, I was-"

"I'm fine… Where's Blanc! Is she okay? Mina! Is she okay too?"

"Well… she had managed to wake up before you, but she hasn't left her room in the basilicom since. Her sisters are starting to get scared as well. And Mina… she's still unconscious, the fact that she's still even breathing is a miracle, that bullet just needed to be one inch higher for it to have killed her. Neptune… you gotta rest girl. You have to-"

"How can I rest!? Its my own stupid fault for getting Blanc wrapped up in this mess, first Iris Heart takes my country and now Blanc's been hurt because of me. Falcom, please, stay with Rom and Ram okay?" Neptune rapidly jumped out of the bed and slipped on her parka dress immediately and headed out.

"Neptune! What do you're doing? Your wounds from your first battle with Black Heart have re-opened are now just slowly healing… you can't fight Black heart _or_ Iris Heart!"

"If I want those wounds to heal faster, I'll need more shares. I can't waste anymore time here, I though Blanc could help me but the whole damn thing blew up in my face! I need to go back to Planeptune now!"

"Planeptune!? Planeptune!? What the hell Neptune? That's the worst place you could possibly-"

"No, I just remembered something… there's an old, broken, and burned down mansion in the outskirts Planeptune, that place might have something that can help me… look, Falcom, I know you aren't exactly accustomed to this place, but those twins are going to be scared without Mina or Blanc, and I can't allow myself to further endanger Lowee more than I already have. They lost their goddamn CPU for Christ sakes! How can I possibly fix that!?" The eager and anxious

"Fine. Then go… still I must ask… most people would've given up by now. You've lost your power… your country… even your family. You've been beaten and betrayed… how can you still stay strong after all that's happened to you Neptune?"

"Tch, oh Falcom. Don't get me wrong… I'm foolish, I'm reckless, and I'm sure as hell ignorant sometimes, but… I've got to keep my head up! Gamindustri's a terrible place… it truly is. But I'm not going to let that bring me down! I'm a CPU dammit! Its my job to make my country - no – this entire continent better, an _no_ amount of crap that's thrown on me is going to stop that. Besides, there are other great people out there in this world, people like you… IF… Compa… this world can be a better place, and it has the people to show. It just needs… a push. How big that push needs to be...?" Neptune stretched herself out and loosened up her muscles and limbs before straightening out and pointing back at herself with her thumb up. "Well, that's up to me to find out…"

Falcom, taken aback and inspired by Neptune's rather optimistic speech, shed a slight tear, before pulling out her shotgun and passing it to Neptune. "Wasn't really my style anyway Neppy… they've got a lot swords here I can break, whatever's in that mansion I hope's its worth.

"Hope huh?" As Neptune held open the door to exit, she realized that Falcom had genuinely believed in her… she was a CPU of course, she needed faith. But she had never once seen a believer so up close and personal.

As Neptune walked out of the hospital, Falcom looked down from the room, smiling as the purple-haired heroine walked toward the sunset with her gun over her shoulder.

 _~Lastation Interrogation Room, Noire and Histoire~_

"Why are you wasting your time Noire? I will _never_ help you; you can bribe me as much as you like, I will always reject whatever insidious offer you propose. Can you not understand that?"

"Oh Lady Histoire, so naïve. I'm not making a proposal anymore; I'm making a _demand_. If you would look right here, I have a phone."

Histoire look toward Noire right hand, curious, she realized that the phone was a model that wasn't sold in Lastation, but in the other countries. Immediately putting two and two together, Histoire jolted back within in her chains. She knew what Noire was capable of now. Questioning her morals, she found herself conflicted and horrified.

"You… you're the one that made the FN-drug!?"

Noire chuckled a slight bit from Histoire's accusation. "Well… not exactly. The original creator is someone in Leanbox, they merely gave me the drug which allowed me to modify it to be even more discreet. Before, you would get a cluttered email with random jittered text… but now? Well… now we can disguise our emails as someone within a contact list _and_ send it through text. Impressive ain't it?"

"You're bluffing!"

"Am I, Histoire? You know very well what the FN drug can do… unless you work with us to process those CPU memoires, I may just have to get hands bloodier than I'd like to. How about it Histoire?"

Histoire couldn't decide what to do, If Noire was telling the truth… then she'd be letting innocents lives suffer from her own actions… but if she helped Noire process the CPU memories… she'd gain _god_ knows how much power. A fork in the road of reality stood afront of the Oracle, her decision could very well mean the fate of Gamindustri, maybe even Neptune and Nepgear.

"I'm getting impatient Histy… what is it!? Are you going to help us!?"

"I…I-I… I"

Noire, slightly hovering her finger over the button on her phone, threated the Oracle immensely, one button that could cause devastating effects with minimal to no collateral damage.

"Noire… can't you at least consider-"

"5!"

"Are serious? Noire you're-"

"4!"

"Is this really worth innocent lives-"

"3!"

"NOIRE!"

"2!"

"STOP!"

"1!"

"I'll do it! I'll do it! Please, just don't involve any innocents for the love of all that is worth seeing in this god-forsaken continent!"

Noire, easing her finger away from the phone, propped it back in her pocket and snapped her fingers, entering two guards that chained the Oracle and carried her away.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Miss Histoire~"

Histoire, looked back at the CPU with intense contempt and spite.

Noire sighed and re-entered the interrogation room, slumping into her chair, cold and depressed.

Her phone was blank and empty, which in truth, had no such ability to access the FN Drug let alone an enhanced version of it. Inside, she never liked involving directly involving innocents, but she was still needed to keep the persona of one who is willing to get her hands bloody nonetheless of the repercussions

"This continent and its nations are corrupt and consumed by greed and lust. Planeptune… before I had taken ahold, it'd had been controlled by Politicians scheming and acting against public interest for their own interest. Even that dunce Neptune was unaware of the very corrupt nature of her own government. Leanbox… the longer that capitalistic shithole continues its worthless existence, the amount entropy of the universe that is wasted on those corporate shills disgust me; the people of Leanbox are slaves to their corporate overlords, the people Gamindustri deserve a much better country and leader. Lowee… such a pathetic traditionalist state that clings on to ideals of ages past for the sake of rituals; the people of Lowee don't benefit from their traditionalism… no one does… except the old, the miserable, the rat bastards that reside in the government mansions… claiming that their traditional ideals are superior as they sit on the backs of the youth. What a pathetic country. What a pathetic world. Why should one try their best? Why should one be optimistic and expect the best of humanity in a world that only offers the worst of it? I deny this reality; my goal is nigh…"

Noire pulled out another one of Vio's Cigar's, lighting it with blue fire that she summoned with her own share energy.

"…please… hang in there… I just need _more_ time. Please… just stay with me… **Uni.** "


	9. Chapter 9: A Heart of Purple

_Story So Far:_

 _After realizing that the threat of the FN-Drug is much more prominent than it had formerly been assumed, Lid runs off toward Leanbox's basilicom in hopes on confronting the CPU of Leanbox about the matters._

 _Neptune, suffering from a short coma after her defeat in Lowee, wakes up from a dream. Memories from a time long-past ring through Neptune's mind as she leaves Lowee in search of her old home._

 _Noire interrogates and successfully manipulates Histoire into processing Blanc and Neptune's CPU memories by threatening to use a modified form of the FN-Drug despite not truly having it._

 _Noire and Neptune, both wish for a better Gamindustri, but one's past shapes who they are today. Two girls with very juxtaposing views on life, but uncannily similar goals: to save Gamindustri from itself… or is it?_

 _Now:_

 _As Neptune heads off to her old home, as Lid goes to Leanbox's basilicom, As IF and Nepgear desperately scour Leanbox in hopes of a way to save Compa, and As Noire broods in her basilicom, Plutia sits alone in Planeptune's basilicom; The CPU ponders about her life and what meaning - if any – it may have._

Chapter 9:

 _~Deep into the night; Planeptune, Plutia~_

 _"I was angry with my friend_

 _I told my wrath, my wrath did end_

 _I was angry with my foe:_

 _I told it not, my wrath did grow"_

"Yuri… what the hell did that mean?" Plutia, sitting alone in Planeptune's basilicom, taking an ever small swig from her flask of whiskey, and looking at the empty streets of Planeptune. The inner city was mostly dead, most citizens immigrated into other countries in hopes of a secure government.

"How long is Noire going to keep me here? How long is Histoire going to stay at Lastation…? I'm lonely… I guess I should be getting used to it at this point. Considering who I am and what I do, considering the monster I so casually become, is this my consequence? To be secluded? To be isolated from the rest of reality?"

After getting up and wandering the Vacant halls of the basilicom, Plutia grew evermore tired and exhausted. She was quite the sleeper in her human form, she'd even pass out during work or dinner. Histoire said that it was narcolepsy but that would bring the question about how the hell would CPUs be affected by normal human symptoms and problems.

But before the Heavy-Eyed CPU could collapse to her bed, at the very tail end of her hearing, she heard a very faint banging. At first, it seemed like normal construction, only for Plutia – after a good couple of minutes – to realize that there couldn't possibly be any form of construction since the government was basically non-existent. Plutia always was quite slowly at grasping the situation around her, and before Plutia could even exit the hallow Basilicom, a fiery missile crashed through the glass entrance and destroyed the entire entrance area, causing Plutia to fly into the middle of the street.

After pushing herself the ground and exiting her haze, she stood back up and saw the destroyed Basilicom entrance. "Aww geez, Histoire's going to be reaaaally angry when she comes baaaaack…"

"Silence! Your anarchical and careless reign of Planeptune ends here, Plutia!" Before the CPU stood a towering mecha, loaded to the brim with weapons and missiles. "I am **Hajime Satomi** , CEO of Sega! The people of Planeptune will no longer suffer from your actions, and we will defy all actions of annexation by Lastation. Surrender and leave our country! Or die by my hands!"

"Geez…" Plutia flicked back her hair and dusted off her pajamas. "… Do I really have to deal this guy? I guess 90k9 ran out of antagonist to pull from, so he just googled the CEO of Sega and slapped him into this Fic… how pathetic and boring."

"CPU Iris Heart! I will not say my demands again! Leave our country and never come-"

Before the CEO could continue taking, Plutia transformed into Iris Heart, creating a magenta shockwave. When the light ceased, the towering dominatrix slowly stepped toward the mecha, giggling as she snapped her sword-whip around, destroying nearby cars and lamppost.

"Y-you don't scare me, you damn CPU!" In a flurry of panic, Satomi unleashed a barrage of thousands of missiles at the CPU – blocking the night sky under an amalgamation of explosives and smoke.

"Oh please… is that it? I've played with women with _much_ more exciting climaxes than whatever… _this_ is supposed to be…" Iris Heart crazily waved her whip in all directions, destroying and even reflecting the missiles. One stray missile hit the leg of Satomi's mech causing the giant piece of machinery to collapse on one leg.

"Ah! I'm not done yet bitch!" The CEO pulled out a radio "… Send in the backup dammit! I need repairs!" Before Iris-Heart could run in and stop him, hundreds of citizens, armed with rifles and blunt weapons appeared atop of buildings and out of alleyways.

"Great… more _toys_ to play with. More fragile bones to _break!_ " The thousands of bullets that were thrown at Iris Heart merely deflecting and dissolved on impact. The people that rose against Iris-Heart started to grow fearful, fearful that their rebellion may have been naught but a mere trifle for the CPU.

A metal bat hit the back of Iris-Heart, who didn't even flinch or turn around from the impact. The sadistic CPU smiled as she grabbed the metal bat behind her and flipped it over in front of her, causing the assaulter to land right in front of her against the rough concrete. The man with the metal bat couldn't even blink before having his blunt weapon shoved directly through his skull, killing him instantly. The brutal execution demoralized and terrified the rest of the attackers, some of them even running away from the CPU.

"Pathetic! All of you! Pathetic!" Iris Heart laughed as she walked through the crowds of people that tried to attack her, ripping away their limbs and organs. Like a scissor sliding through thin paper, Iris Heart _cleaned_ the streets in front of her, leaving the roads, nearby stores, and ultimately herself covered in blood and body parts.

After a good while, Satomi's mech had been repaired, as the machine got back up, the CEO gasped in horror at the massacre before him, and the CPU that stood atop the masses or bodies. "Iris Heart! You monster! You're a murderer! You're a-"

Iris Heart didn't even bother listening to the rest of what Satomi had to say. With another tight snap of her whip-sword, seamlessly decapitating the repair crew that fixed the machine's legs and completely separating the mecha's legs from itself, causing it to collapse against the road. The indestructible Iris-haired menace walked up to the collapsed machine, easing up the side and standing tall before the CEO that lay trapped inside the cockpit.

"My my… what do we have… here… a completely isolated person, unable to escape, unable to move, and no-one to cry to help for. I couldn't ask for a better gift" She dropped her blade and clenched her bare fist.

"No! No! Iris Heart! Please! Forgive me! I'll do anything! Just please don't kill-"

Iris Heart savagely dug her hands inside of the Mecha, breaking through the glass and ripping into the man's stomach, wrapping her hands around the CEO's intestines. "Mercy? You wanted mercy! Look at you! Some greedy, bitchy, whiny, corporate business "man" begging for his life after attacking _my_ basilicom and trying to kill _me_. Go! Go ahead! Beg! Beg for mercy! I SAID BEG YOU WORTHLESS PIG! BEG!"

"PLEASE NO! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME IRIS HE- AHH!" The CEO couldn't find the strength to scream any more as Iris Heart ruthlessly pulled out his intestines through the glass of the cockpit as he couldn't move his body at all.

Like a child digging through a box of toys, Iris Heart continued to rip into and throw away the man's seemingly infinite pile of intestines. After a couple minutes, Satomi lay dead silent as Iris Heart stood atop a corpse covered in its own guts and blood.

"Hehe… Hahaha! Haha Haha!" Iris Heart looked down at her hands, covered in muscle and blood. She continued to laugh manically under the moonlight. As the air grew cold around her and the blood went dry on her, Iris Heart collapsed back down onto the mech and held her head into her hands covering her face with even more blood and whispering to herself:

 _"I was angry with my friend_

 _I told my wrath, my wrath did end_

 _I was angry with my foe_

 _I told it not, my wrath did grow"_

As she continued to laugh, her sadistic laughter slowly dissipated, turning into unyielding cries, accompanied by blood-stained tears. "Yuri… YURI WHERE ARE YOU!?" Iris Heart cried for the woman she loved once again, she cried knowing there would be no one to call back to her, no one to save her, no one to comfort her in this very lonely night. Or was there?

"Iris Heart!" Neptune stood at the other end of the road…

"Well, Miss CPU… what are _you_ doing here?"

 _~A couple hours earlier; Planeptune Outskirts: Abandoned Manor, Neptune~_

Brushing past seemingly endless and eternal blockade of thick fauna and tall grass, Neptune reached the old home that she had last saw many years ago. The house was engulfed with moss, its windows broken, and it structure malformed. The entrance was burned open, whatever door was there had been destroyed either during the fire or decayed from time.

When Neptune entered the mansion, she saw the same spot she had last seen her mother. Nostalgic, weary, sentimental, and depressed, Neptune took a seat and sat down at the mostly broken staircase. Looking around, she didn't see a home, she saw her childhood. A childhood that had been taken from her so early on. One could argue that the reason she is so lazy today is because of this. The lack of childhood innocence and comfort, the hardships she had to endure to keep herself and Nepgear alive, she never had time to be a kid, and now wishes to live like one. To her, this place didn't represent Uzume's manor, it represented the past she never had and never would have.

As she climbed up the broken stairs, avoiding the holes and weakened steps, at the very top of the staircase was a large painting, a portrait specifically. Neptune's mother, sitting gracefully as her dark blue twin tails flowed behind her, in her mother's lap was Neptune herself, a much younger Neptune who even back then, still had the D-Pad clips in her head.

"Mother… why did you have to strike? Why did you have to become the monster that Gamindustri sees you as today? Why did you have to leave Nepgear and I to fend for ourselves?" pressing her head against the old painting, a small tear fell down the side of her face. Her nostalgic depression then turned into irrational anger.

"WHY!" Punching her fist through the painting, right through where her younger self's face was, she realized that there was and odd amount of space behind the painting. Ripping and tearing away at the old canvas, Neptune unfolded a hallway to an elevator door, contrary to the rest of the house, the elevator looked in peak condition.

"There's no way in hell this thing has any power in it." When Neptune walked up to the elevator control panel to go down, a large winding noise was heard, the floor counter above the elevator entrance lit up, its light shining through the broken down manor like an angel in hell and its doors opening like the gates of heaven. "Well I'll be damned; would you look at that…"

When the elevator reached its only destination that was a very sizable distance from its start, Neptune found herself greeted with a large circular room. The moment she stepped one foot out of the door, an automated message immediately played, a voice Neptune had not heard in many years.

"Neptune… or Nepgear, whichever one of you came home first. Maybe even both of you are here. Nonetheless, neither the elevator nor this message could have activated without the sensors detecting your D.N.A... My daughters, I understand you must have built much animosity towards me. Having to run away from me all those years ago without a proper explanation, it must have broken you mentally. You must hate me so much right now…"

"Geez mom… ya think?" Neptune whispered to herself.

"By the time you've found this room, everything I've done should have been revealed to the public, I will be seen as a criminal in Gamindustri's history, all my work for Planeptune has most likely been destroyed, Histoire's memories about me must have been wiped, and your Dad's death… has most likely been swept under the rug. I will have nothing left but a title of chaos, but you… Neptune, Nepgear, you two are all I have left, and it sounds selfish of me, I know. But you two are my true _legacy_. You two will be what I have left on Gamindustri… and while I will always be seen as a monster, I know you two will be much greater. I know you, my daughters, I know you two will be strong, stronger than all the chaos this world can possibly throw at you. You two will be stronger than me, you have to be!"

"Stronger… than mom?"

"As I'm recording this, CPU Uranus and CPU candidate Plutia are attempting to kill me, and for good reason. I have committed multiple acts of treason against Planeptune and I have murdered multiple government officials, the first time since Rei Ryghts's rampage, for one reason… your father… He was killed during an assassination attempt that was hired by Planeptune's human government. I was supposed to be the target, but your father took the shot to protect me. I couldn't contain the rage inside of me as I held his bloody body in my hands…"

"So that's what happened to dad… what the hell was going on with Planeptune?"

"Before your father passed, he created multiple blades using elements and materials exclusive to Planeptune only. I've tested these swords myself… they've broken the strongest weapons I've ever used. Not only that, but they can utilize share energy to increase their output of power… a sword meant for a CPU indeed. These three blades I've prepared, these blades shall protect you, and the people of Planeptune. It shall protect them against their corrupt governments, the ruling class, and whatever evil may set out for those who cannot protect themselves. The first blade I present to you, your father so aptly named: _**Mecha Nep Blade**_ **.** "

A counter rose up from the floor in the middle of the room, on top of it was a sword stand, and what it held appeared to be a very mechanical appearing katana. Decorated with white and purple and a small N that was painted on the hilt.

"This blade that your father made, it was created for precision cutting and parrying. This blade is unbreakable, and if you master it correctly, you can cut through the open air and dissolve the atomic matter in whatever space you wish to choose. Yes darling, you heard that right… this blade defies the laws of the conservation of matter. And if your precision with the blade is quick and fast, I believe you'll be able to cut a such speeds, to where you can split apart atoms and create zeta-compressed nuclear explosions, cuts so fast and deep that they create nuclear reactions in the negative 7th dimension. Don't worry, you aren't creating an actual explosion… in this dimension, you're creating a nuclear explosion in a space of time in a different-empty dimension, but the impact entire impact can be felt in a small place in this dimension. In short, you can liquidate evil in a matter of seconds.

"Geez dad… you really went over board with this one…" Neptune unsheathed the blade from its stand and swung it around a bit. "Oh wait... I think I can get used to this…" She noticed that as she swung her blade, the air around her felt different, that's because her blade was dissolving the oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen molecules in the air. Splitting apart an atom would create a nuclear explosion, but the speed at which Neptune cut at caused it the atoms to simply disappear, the absence of matter creating miniature black holes to the sub-dimensions where the nuclear reactions occurred. "Alright, let's see if this works! Judgment Nep!" Neptune wrapped the sheath around her waist and sheathed her sword. Concentrating and focusing, she unsheathed and sheathed her sword rapidly, creating cuts in what seemed like bubbles that defied reality. When Neptune finished training with her new katana, she held the sheath behind her back and sheathed the sword behind her. "Hell yeah…" She whispered to herself.

"And then there's your father's second blade, he called it: _**Excalibur**_ "

The counter that held the Mecha Nep Blade was lifted down and replaced by another table, holding a large, spiky broadsword. Furnished with gold and blue, both the blade's handle and hilt were extravagant in design and size. The sheer weight of the blade startled Neptune for a little bit. The blade's weight was something that Neptune could manage, but any normal human would have its particles dematerialized and crushed into the ground instantly through the sheer weight of the blade.

"This blade was meant to be used by me… but considering the monster that I am, and the negative share energy that I emit, the blade rejects and even harms me. All forms of evil are punished by the existence of this blade. Neptune, the Excalibur can _liquidate_ evil… it only requires your assistance to reach its target. Neptune, I'm entrusting this blade to you because I have believe you have the strength, both physically and mentally, to wield it. You're a CPU darling, and you need the arms to prove it."

Neptune, two handing the blade, lifted it over her shoulder, the impact of it landing on her shoulder caused her to flinch a little bit. Her feet imprinted into the metal floor a tiny bit before she even started to swing. "Excalibur huh? Let's see what you can do!" Neptune swung her blade back and forth, leaving very visible and strong trails of wind behind each swing. The weight of the blade created strong gust of wind, both behind and in front of Neptune. "Damn! This blade's a real tough puppy! Now… Overdrive!" Neptune backhanded the sword and braced herself as she swung the blade, its golden blade creating large marks into the ground, and beams of light in front of her that demolished the wall in front of her.

"Now… girls… this is important. This third blade, your father did not make it, neither did I. But its existence must be kept secret from the other countries and must be used _only_ in the most extreme emergencies possible. This blade is called _**Geh**_ \- *skkkskskksrt*

Before the message could finish, the lights in the room shutdown, and the room went dark. Neptune found herself enveloped in darkness. "Ah crap, how am I supposed to get out of here now?"

Using both blades to pry open the elevator doors, she entered and cut open a hole into the top. She used the panels and wires of the elevator to climb back up to the main hall of the manor.

When Neptune exited the house, the looked back down at both of her new blades, The Mecha Nep Blade, its sleek and sharp design reflected the moonlight in the night sky. Excalibur, its bright golden metal shined like the sun itself.

As Neptune walked out of the forest, and to the basilicom, she felt a slight nervousness rise through her body, Excalibur's green crystal on the hilt started to shine softly as well. "Something's not right… something's happening in Planeptune… I need to hurry!"

 _~Planeptune streets, Iris Heart and Neptune~_

"What the hell are you doing here Neppy!?" Iris Heart re-summoned her whip sword and snapped in violently, the sheer force and wind cause the blood on Iris Heart to fly off of her.

"The answer to that question is right behind you. Your reign is over Iris Heart… surrender now!"

"Oh… you? The CPU who _lost_ her HDD? Please… don't make me laugh Neptune. As you can see by the countless number of idiots behind me, I can assure you that I am _not_ in the mood for games right now. Now you can pick up your dainty pathetic ass and leave… or you can join the rest of those idiots."

"I'm not joking with you." Neptune pulled out Excalibur with one hand, and the Nep Blade in another.

"Great, the brat has new toys. How exciting." Iris Heart snapped her whip at the CPU, who blocked the attack with Excalibur. The impact deflected the whip back at Iris Heart. Having her attack deflected back at her felt unnatural to her. She was so used to dominating her opponents, a complete rejection of her attack seemed impossible.

"Fine! Try blocking millions upon trillions of slashes!" Iris Heart fanatically swung around her whip with insane speed, Neptune felt herself slowly being pushed back into the ground as countless barrages of hits pushed back at Excalibur. The speed at which Iris Heart swung at started to create a monstrous tornado in front of Planeptune's basilicom. Neptune, Iris Heart, the hundreds of bodies left by Iris Heart, and the nearby buildings started to lift into the air. Neptune clung to her blades tightly as her body spun around in the violent vortex.

"Try swinging your blade now you annoying twerp!" Iris Heart summoned her back processor unit wings, her flight speed was strong enough to counter the tornado's current. "Where are you!? Neptune!?" The conglomeration of buildings, cars, and corpses started to muddy up the inside of the tornado. Iris Heart couldn't find the petite CPU through the endless amount of flak and debris.

Neptune impaled her sword into a broken piece of a building to try and stabilize herself inside the violent vortex. She peeked over the piece of rubble she was attacked to and saw Iris Heart Flying around in the center of the tornado. "Dammit! I got one shot at this. Using all her might, great force, and a little bit of calculus, Neptune, turned around the piece of debris she was on, revealing herself to Iris Heart.

"Neptune! Get over here!" Iris snapped her whip at Neptune, who parried it back with her katana, and kicked off the wall, using both Excalibur and the Nep Blade to strike and Iris Heart with enough force to knock both of them through the tornado, and into the Basilicom's balcony.

"How!? How have you survived for so long against me!?" Iris Heart clenched her first, she started to shake erratically, her eyes started to twitch, and her pupils contracted intensely.

"This is me at my normal strength Iris Heart, you're just so used to fighting the weak, when you fight someone your own size, you start to cower in fear. You aren't strong Iris Heart; you just look scary."

"Do you not see the fucking tornado I just created that's still there right next to us!?"

"Yeah, I could create that, but I'm not in the mood for petty games…" Neptune pointed her katana at Iris Heart and smirked. "C'mon you twerp! Let's finish this!"

Neptune and Iris Heart charged at each other. Iris Heart ran in for a close line, only for Neptune to slide under her and jump into the air, crashing straight back down and leaving a devastating slash into Iris Heart's back.

"What the hell! Get back here!" Iris Heart swung back at Neptune with a fist that displaced the existing molecules around it for a couple seconds and landed a blow against Neptune who blocked it with Excalibur. The impact of the punch caused Neptune to slide to the very edge of the balcony. The heel of her foot sliding off the edge ever so slightly.

"Not bad Iris! But you gotta discipline yourself… because every strike you just threw at Excalibur has had its force stored inside it."

"What!?"

The green crystal on Excalibur's hilt shined brighter than ever before as Neptune lifted her blade in the air. Before Iris Heart could strike at Neptune again, the force of a trillion slashes, a tornado, and one devastating punch was unleashed right back at Iris Heart, launching her across the entire planet.

"Home Run baby!" Neptune smirked as Iris Heart disappeared in the horizon. For a good couple of minutes, Neptune sat back down and relaxed, she pulled out a bottle of whiskey, a Goddess Incarnate bottle, the same type her and her friends used against the Lastation monster back at the abandoned gas station. The Tornado ended and Neptune, for a few moments, felt very relaxed.

"Unlike my very vulgar sister… I don't like to abuse alcohol or even touch drugs. But I think this moment calls for a celebration." She unbottled the bottle and took a sip of the whiskey. "Not bad whoever made this… not bad…" Neptune stood back up and turned around, just in the distance she could see Iris Heart flying back toward her in the distance.

"Well I'll be damned! looks like the Earth isn't flat after all." Neptune bottled the bottle of whiskey back up and held it like a weapon. "Batter up!" When Iris Heart's unconscious body circled around the planet and back to Neptune, Neptune smashed the bottle against Iris Heart's head, waking her back up as she crashed back down onto the balcony.

"What the hell!? Such power… what is that blade?" Iris Heart's head hurt felt like it was being pressed down by a vice.

"Oh this? It's a hand-me-down from my mom. Yeah yeah! I know! Its embarrassing! But my wooden katana just got burned to pieces and this shotgun Falcom gave me isn't going to do much against you… so I really don't have much of a choice!"

"Erg!" Iris Heart pulled out her whip sword once more.

"Round 3? I'm down for it… just don't expect to get back up from it…" Neptune readied Excalibur and the Nep Blade.

"Don't get too cocky now Neptune! That sword of yours is starting to annoy me greatly!" Iris Heart wrapped her whip sword around Excalibur and pulled it away from Neptune, holding it for herself. "Well would you look at that Neptune! Your pesky little blade is now in _my_ hands! What say you now, scum!"

"Nothing really… in fact, why don't you keep holding sword, just hold it _real_ tightly."

"Do you think you can trick me with a bluff like that? What could this sword- AH MOTHERFUCKER!"

Excalibur grew brighter than before, and burned Iris Heart's hand, leaving it inoperable.

"What the hell!? What the hell is that thing!?"

"Excalibur liquidates _all_ evil. And it will reject those unworthy of holding it."

"Nonsense, how can such a brat like you be worthy of holding such a blade?"

"It's simple, you surrendered your hope Iris Heart. Now I don't know what you've been through… but you strike back at Gamindustri because of how it has treated you, am I correct?"

"Of course… this entire continent deserves to go to hell!"

"Yup, that's it right there. You despise the world because of how crappy its treated you. I don't blame you… but that doesn't justify your actions. When I see how bad this world is… I don't think about spiting it. Destroying it. Harming it. I don't wish to create even more chaos in this… beautiful world…"

"Beautiful? Is that what you call this atrocity of a continent!?"

"Look Iris Heart, look at the sunrise… isn't it nice?"

"What!? How the hell could- wait…" as Iris Heart looked at the pinkish-red star rise in the distance; a familiar memory awoke inside of her. "Oh my god…" Weakened, beaten, and tired, Iris Heart couldn't do anything but sit and relax as the sun rose in the distance. "It's beautiful… I just remembered now… I remembered how Yuri and I would come out in the morning and we'd have a glass as the son rose early in the morning. It feels so long ago yet… so close."

"Iris Heart. This world's a terrible place, I'm not denying it. But there's beauty to be found in it. And its our job as CPUs to make that beauty prominent. To show that the world isn't entirely corrupt, to show that our world can be a nice place. We just have to fight for it!"

"No… NO!" Iris Heart stood back up and turned around back at Neptune. "I'm not going to fall into your _lies_ of optimism!"

"Dammit Iris…"

Iris Heart ran toward Neptune, unarmed and battered; she ran at the CPU with all her might. "NEPTUNE!"

*Crash*

The CPU, using the blunt end of the Nep Blade, smacked Iris Heart, hard enough to launch her past the city walls and into the outskirts of Planeptune. As she flew away into the very distance, she could faintly see a flash of light appear where Iris Heart was.

"She must've turned back into her human form… Well she'll be fine. I highly doubt she'll be coming back here anytime soon. I've got my damn country back… now I just need people. Where the hell's Histoire? I could use some pudding right about…" Neptune collapsed out of exhaustion, the fight had left her tired… but victorious.

 **To Be Continued.**

 **A.N: I'm not done with Plutia yet.**


	10. Chapter 10: Downfall

_Story So Far:_

 _Plutia, alone and depressed, finds herself ambushed by hundreds of Planeptune's citizens who have decided to rebel against her. After transforming and annihilating all of those who stood before her, Neptune stopped her amid the chaos._

 _Neptune came back to her childhood home, a place she had long since abandoned. In there she found powerful weapons that were left behind by her mother and father. A mechanical katana named_ _ **Mecha Nep Blade**_ _that could dissolve matter with precision slices and create black holes in reality. As well as the legendary blade_ _ **Excalibur**_ _with its tremendous strength and un-ending power._

 _With these new armaments, Neptune fearlessly contested with the seemingly impenetrable menace, Iris Heart. After the clashing of blades and destruction of buildings, Neptune stood triumphant as she exiled Iris Heart from Planeptune by force._

 _After claiming her country back, at least for a little while, Neptune felt relieved knowing that the people of Planeptune would no longer have to suffer due to Iris Heart's cursed reign._

 _Now:_

 _Nepgear and IF go shopping._

Chapter 10:

"Alright IF, this is all the money I could counterfeit with my share energy. I don't need any fancy claws or weapons, but you aren't going to survive another fight with Lid just with that little handgun of yours." Nepgear flipped through the stack of money, and wrapped it in a rubber band, handing it to IF.

"You sure they can't tell its fake?"

"Can you?"

"Well… you got me there. Anyways, a new weapon huh? What could I possibly use?" IF gawked at the massive array of weapons that were organized along the wall. Guns, knives, swords, hammers, the lot of it all was at display for IF to see, how could she decide? She was quite the entrepreneur with weapons, her experience at the info guild helped her get accustomed with various weapon types. Unfortunately those days have long since passed and she found herself with a dilemma. "What weapon is going to kill Lid? But also make her suffer?" She asked herself.

"Well, if you want to kick Lid's ass, you're definitely not going to use a gun. So we can cross those off the lists."

"Right, and I like to move quickly, so great swords and hammers are out of the equation…"

"Hmm, a katana maybe? Agile, swift, and can cut metal easily, I'd say that's a pretty damn good choice."

"Ah… I don't know Gear… katana's just don't erm… resonate with me. I'm just not feeling it."

"Well geez, that's a lot of weapons out of the way. How about a longsword?"

"Nah, that's too easily countered, I need something niche, something I can use quickly without Lid knowing what to do"

"Hmm… ah! I got it! Look at these IF."

"Woah!"

Nepgear held two golden katars in front of her, its sleek design and comfortable handles helped IF get well accustomed with the blade.

"I see I see! Nice! All right! I think I can use these." IF swung her blades left and right, her after images left golden cuts into the open air, truly a weapon that she could manage."

"Well, simply swinging them back and forth isn't really going to help either of us… come on IF! Let's take this outside."

"Tch, you're on Nepgear"

The two stood at opposite ends of a plaza. Nepgear with her beam saber stood against IF with her new blades. This would be an important sparring match for the two. Both IF and Nepgear had been defeated by Lid before and were determined like hell to ensure that they wouldn't lose again. Both girls imagined their opponent as the woman who had defeated them before, the same woman they were determined to kill.

"Just because you're human doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, IF!"

"Keep talking Ms. Candidate! I'd like to hear you say those same words after I'm done with you!"

Without any further witty lines to spew at each other, the two found themselves locked into a sparring duel. IF, quick witted as she was, knew Nepgear would start the fight with a Beam Slice. Avoiding the shockwave from the attack, IF launched herself at Nepgear, all three blades met in unison and flew off sparks into the open air.

"Not bad Iffy but try dodging this! Panzer Blade!" Nepgear unleashed a flurry of strikes at the Brunette, who blocked each one, albeit not with exact precision or grace.

But alas IF had countered Nepgear's flurry attack. "You're gonna have to be faster than that Gear!" IF jump above Nepgear and aimed for a knockout blow against the candidate's back only for Nepgear disappear in mere seconds.

"What the?"

"Too slow IF"

Nepgear, who had dashed right behind IF, kicked the Guild agent by the back and knocked her into the pavement. Before IF could get back up, Nepgear held her blade at IF's neck. "Well well… looks like round 1's on me!"

"Yeah… I wouldn't be too sure about that!" IF had already aimed her handgun at Nepgear's crotch. For their first fight, the two girls found themselves in a stalemate.

"Pfft, you got lucky there IF…" Nepgear held out her hand to IF. The two then dusted off their clothes and readied their weapons for a second match.

"Ya ready Gearsy!?"

"Don't expect to beat me IF! Not in a million years!?"

"Aww c'mon gear, did you need to reference that piece of shit game?"

"Now now ladies, don't rough yourselves _too_ much, it'd be a shame to see such pretty faces become damaged from reckless fighting."

IF and Nepgear turned to see Leanbox's CPU and her maid approaching the two casually.

"Shit! Vert!? Is she after our bounty?"

"Considering she leads a capitalistic empire; I'd say she might… but we can't win a fight against her! Can we?"

"Looks like there's only one way to find out!"

"Ladies, please. I don't mean either of you two any harm. I would never as much harm a single hair on either of your bodies."

Nepgear and IF looked at each other once more, before turning back to Vert and reluctantly dropping their weapons.

"Cave! If you will."

"Yes Lady Vert!"

Cave, seemingly from nowhere, summoned an entire table and four chairs for all of them, as well a pre-cooked dinner with drinks. The speed and precision at which cave organized a luncheon had mildly impressed Vert, and absolutely floored the two Planeptune girls.

"How the _hell_ do you do that?" IF muttered as her jaw almost dropped to the floor

"As Lady Vert's maid for many years, I have trained myself to be prepared for any situation that may arise. Now please, Lady Nepgear and Lady IF, take a seat and enjoy a lovely luncheon with Lady Vert, she very much wishes to hold a conversation with you two." Cave, with a towel over one of her arms and a glass of wine in the other, stood next to Vert who had already taken a seat.

"Lunch huh? Aren't we wanted criminals Lady Vert? Are you sure this is okay?" Nepgear took off her gloves and scratched the back of her head worriedly.

"Oh please, I have no intentions of fully cooperating with Lastation. That egregious and fascist nation can cry all they want about Nationalism and propaganda; in the end it is naught but the mere cries of insecurity and well… parental issues. I, the mature and bountiful woman I am, never had to deal with such troubles. And look at me now! I am a proud woman, who has created not only a strong, but free! And independent country. Wouldn't you agree? Ladies?"

"Mmh YmYeah Thwats gwreat and wall Lwady Vwert!" IF had immediately started digging into her plate, stuffing piece after piece into her mouth, completely consuming the dish before her.

"My my… you must've been very hungry"

"Yeah! Nepgear and I have been living off of fast food and samples for the past week! This is like heaven compared to what we've eaten before!"

"I'm glad that I could be such a godsend to you lovely girls."

Nepgear, looking down at the very expensive food and drinks that were laid across the table, she couldn't help but relax and ease off the stressful week that she had gone through. "Oh what the hell, it can't hurt to have a little bit."

The three ladies chowed down and talked about random things throughout their life. For once in a very long time, Nepgear and IF were to relax and simply chat with each other having to worry about anything, at least that's what it seemed like at first.

"Hey, did I ever to you guys about that time there was a thunderstorm in Planeptune, and Neptune, despite being the older sister, ran into _my_ room and started crying?!"

"What! No way! You're lying Nepgear."

"Nah, my sister was real bitch back then, its even more weird considering she's only known me personally for 7 years."

"Wait… what?" IF dropped her silverware and looked back a Nepgear in a very confused demeanor.

"Yeah. Its actually real weird. Apparently, our house burned down as a kid and Neptune brought me to Lowee. This was god knows how many years ago."

"Didn't you say you were 27? Yet you and Neptune were born relatively close."

"CPUs physically age weirdly. To be honest, I don't understand it very well either. Anyways, I was raised in an orphanage, despite this, I was able to get an education. The orphanage never told me who was paying for my tuition, apparently Neptune was working her ass off while I was in school. It wasn't till I was in my 3rd year of high school that I learned I had a sister, and let me tell you girls, it was _surreal_ seeing my older sister for the first time."

"Wow, how about you Vert? You got any siblings?"

Vert went silent the moment IF asked her that question. Cave pulled at her collar nervously and the entire table went silent for a very awkwardly long moment. It was only thanks to Cave that the conversation was able to continue.

"Family is a very… touchy topic with Lady Vert. She means no animosity towards you two I'm sure of it."

"No, of course not. I could never get mad at such attractive women~"

"Woah! Vert I-I uh… I mean" IF reddened intensely from Vert's compliment.

Nepgear chuckled as she set down her silverware and finished her wine in a single swig. "Tell me Lady Vert… you didn't just come here just hit on us us… right?" Nepgear leaned over the table seductively with her hand resting on her palm.

"Well I-I of- of course not! In fact, it's actually rather important, you've heard the recent good news, right? About Planeptune?"

"No… we've kinda been out of the loop for a while. Ever since the info guild in Planeptune collapsed, I haven't been able to keep track of any news floating around. As a former info agent, it's embarrassing, but there's not much I can do."

'Well no worries any longer, because… Cave? If you will"

The elusive maid, again, from seemingly nowhere, pulled out a 40 by 40 square-inch curved plasma T.V. On-screen was a new report by Famitsu.

 _"Today, live at Planeptune, we can see hundreds upon thousands of citizens returning to their homes and businesses. Not only is this great for Planeptune, but it is also a sign that Lastation's reach of power has been stunted. Iris Heart, a proxy CPU that was put in place for Planeptune's annexation, has not only been defeated, but completely dethroned by CPU Neptune after a ferocious battle that caused severe damage to both the basilicom and nearby buildings. Not only that, but forecasters report a supposed tornado had appeared during the fight. Nonetheless, Neptune and Planeptune's government officials have started reconstruction efforts to rebuild the economy and hopefully jumpstart the country back to speed."_

"Well I'll be damned, I thought Iris Heart was going to be a much larger threat at first." IF smugly leaned back in her chair while resting her feet on top of the table. "Looks like Neptune really squared up to her, now did she?"

"Pfft, whatever, my sister can do whatever the hell she wants, besides… we still got a job to do in Leanbox."

"And so I've heard…" Vert took a sip of her tea and snapped her fingers. Cave brought out a box of cigars as Vert brought out a hundred dollar bill to use as a lighting match. "Cigars? Ladies?"

"I'm more of a cigarette girl. IF?"

"Eh, sure, why not."

As IF and Vert lit their Cigs, Nepgear shook her glass for Cave to refill it.

"Our friend Compa, she ended up viewing the FN-Drug, and of course, it didn't turn out pretty well for her. We've been searching in dungeons and black market areas to see if there was any way to save her, or at least help her get better." IF let the smoke of her cigar settle in her mouth before exhaling it through her nose.

"And to make it worse, Lid, the same bastard who has been hunting us down and the one responsible for burning down Compa's house is roaming around somewhere in the country."

"This woman… Lid. What do you two know about her?"

"Whelp, she's real damn tall, I'd say like roughly… 9 feet. She's always wearing this cybernetic suit, and she's got a bitchin eyepatch over her right eye. She's real war-hungry and obsessive over Lastation, then again, everyone in Lastation is some hyper-nationalistic bastard."

"I see… I'll alert my spies to keep an eye out for someone like her. Also, just for my curiosity… what's your opinion of Leanbox now that you two have been here for a week?"

"Well geez Vert, you just gave us a nice-ass dinner after we've been suffering for the past week, I can't say my opinion is going to be unbiased." Nepgear drank her entire glass of wine whole again and laughed "Its great Vert, except you might want to check the security on your digital billboards. I was able to hack into one of them easily and play hentai on one of your screens."

"So you're the one who was responsible for that travesty! You have no idea how much trouble that caused me… does that film have a name or something that I can look up later?"

"Geez you two, don't any of you have any shame?"

"The name's _Dropout_ by Fan no Hitori. Some weird shit I tell you what, but hey… whatever gets your rockers off."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. And Ladies, I must say, this has been an absolutely wonderful afternoon. And as such, I'd would love for you two to drop by a party that I'm throwing up at the Basilicom tomorrow night."

"W-what!? A personal invitation to an exclusive party? By the CPU herself!? That's absolutely insane! Lady Vert how can we-"

"You two can thank me by showing up and having a great time, actually, I would love to discuss some more at the party, but alas, I am a busy woman." Vert took a glance at her watch and nodded to Cave. "I'm afraid I must make haste with my next duty. Stay safe ladies… it'd would be a shame for such pretty faces to disappear on me~"

Cave had folded up the table and T.V, both objects simultaneously disappeared into nowhere. The elegant maid held out her arm for Vert to wrap her hand around as the two walked off into the city streets.

"Well… whatdya say Iffy? You down for a party later?"

"C'mon Gear… do you even need to ask?"

The two girls walked back to their hotel, and as they cheerfully continued to chat, another woman was watching the two from a distance.

 _~Leanbox, Lid~_

"A party!? Is that CPU daft?" Lid's anger stemmed from the fact that thousands of Leanbox's citizens were incapacitated due to the FN-Drug. "Does that CPU simply not care what happens to her people!? She going to throw a party for aristocrats, corporates, businessmen! That damn CPU is going to relax and indulge in her sloth as her citizens suffer! Damn you Vert! Damn Leanbox to hell!"

"Are you, Lid?"

The general immediately turned around with her blade pointed forward. "Who are you! A Leanbox spy?"

"No" The woman in front of Lid donned on a business suit with a skull latched to her belt. Her glasses were obviously prescription and her hair was long and heather blue. " The name's Rei Ryghts. I work for an anti-CPU organization, I thought it would be important to tell you some very peculiar information about CPU Noire."

"Noire? What of our glorious leader?"

"Listen to this" The woman pulled out a voice recorder. "It was recorded not too long ago, from Lastation's basilicom itself." At the flick of a switch, Noire's voice started to play through the recorder.

 _"…Before, you would get a cluttered email with random jittered text… but now? Well… now we can disguise our emails as someone within a contact list and send it through text. Impressive ain't it?"_

 _"You're bluffing!"_

 _"Am I, Histoire? You know very well what the FN drug can do… unless you work with us to process those CPU memoires, I may just have to get hands bloodier than I'd like to. How about it Histoire?"_

Rei turned off the recorder and leaned against a nearby wall. "We know you're one of Noire's most trusted individuals, I thought it'd only be fair to share this information with you-"

"Silence!" Lid swung one her blades at Rei, only for the Business woman to backflip into the air and land directly on top of the General's blade.

"You don't have to believe me… but try and tell me that Noire, leader of Leanbox's rival country, wouldn't use the FN-Drug to weaken Leanbox-"

"These are _lies_ , you're working for Lady Vert!? Aren't you!?"

"And what would make you think that?" Rei pulled out a business card and threw it at Lid. "I'm the president of the **Console Patron Unit-Defamation League, CPU-DL** for short. I despise _all_ CPUs, not just Lady Vert, but every CPU that's ever existed. Neptune… Blanc… and yes, even Lady Noire. I find all CPUs to be the source of misery in Gamindustri."

"You dare speak ill of my nation's CPU!"

"I only speak the truth, and the truth is that Noire is responsible for the FN epidemic, she is a traitor to Lastation's ideals. What's it going to be, Lid? Loyalty to your country? Or Loyalty to Noire? Your Country? Or your CPU? Your beliefs? Or your duty? Your duty for Noire? Or your personal beliefs?" Rei Ryghts leaped from Lid's sword and left in her limousine, leaving lid to contemplate on her actions.

"Noire would _never_ harm innocents… but that would explain why she didn't want me to interrogate Histoire… dammit! What the hell is going on!?" Lid, confused, perplexed, distressed, and possibly betrayed, ran off after the limousine.

 _~Tomorrow Afternoon; Leanbox's Basilicom, Vert~_

"You look absolutely _gorgeous_ Lady Vert!" Chika zipped up Vert's dress from behind braided the CPU's hair. "This is going to be the _greatest_ party Leanbox has ever thrown, right Lady Vert?"

"Uh… I guess. I just… *sigh*" Vert sat down and lit up another cigar, her happy and confident demeanor that Chika was most used to had abruptly disappeared. Instead, Lady Vert appeared tired, and worried.

"Lady Vert! What's wrong? Are you nervous? Don't worry! You'll be fine, we've practiced your speech multiple times, there's no need to be so-"

"No, it's not that… Its about the epidemic. I haven't been thinking about it much… but don't you think its in bad taste for me throw a party while there are people out there suffering? I just doesn't feel right."

"Tch, Vert! Darling… don't worry about that right now! We've planned this party in advance for _months_ , long before the epidemic had even started! You can't blame yourself for not seeing the future Vert. Besides, the people attending this party are _very_ important people. Aristocrats, nobles, investors, government officials! This party is _vital_ for Leanbox's higher class, you can't cancel it because you feel some way. And if you're feeling real frisky, you can even discuss the epidemic with the people attending, bring up some attention for it."

Exhaling some smoke, Vert smiled again and looked back at Chika. "Yeah… I guess you're right. Besides… if there's anything I should regret; it'd probably be inviting those ladies from Lastation."

"Wait… YOU DID WHAT!?" Chika grew completely livid after hearing what Vert just said. She had despised Lastation's officials and was one of the people who was heavily against a minor alliance with them."

"Well, I wanted to better our relations with Lastation, but now that I think about it… I don't know if that was exactly a good idea."

"Vert! They're our enemy! What's next? Did you invite those two criminals that those Lastation bimbos were after?"

While not responding vocally, Vert pulled on her collar out of nervousness, realizing the grave mistake she had just made. "Eh… maybe they just won't come. Yeah! I think we'll be fine… I hope…"

 _~Leanbox Hotel, Nepgear and IF~_

"That is fucking outrageous! 50 million credits for a suit or dress in Leanbox! What the actual fuck!" Nepgear shouted at the price tag that was displayed on her phone. "Who is coming up with these prices? E.A?"

"I guess that's it then… no party for us…" IF, already given up, slumped into the sofa in their hotel room. "We get a personal invitation from Lady Vert herself but can't even go because we don't have the right friggin clothing!" IF, halfway through downing a bottle of whiskey, cried as she stuffed her face of tears into a pillow.

"Goddamit! We've got nothing! Without an audience with Lady Vert, we won't be able to get her attention to find a cure for Compa! Dammit!" Nepgear punched the nearby wall, creating a large indent littered with cracks.

"I believe I could be of assistance, ladies?" Cave, who was hanging outside of their windowsill, had two handmade outfits for the duo. One suit that was fitted for IF, and dress fitted for Nepgear.

"Cave! What the hell are you doing here? This is the 47th floor!"

"Lady Vert feared that you two might not be able to prepare formal clothing before the party, so I handmade these outfits for you ahead of time."

"Handmade outfits! For us? How did you get our measurements!?"

"From memory, it took all night last night, but I finished it just in time. Please, put it on with haste, the party is going to start soon."

* * *

"Woah! Fits like a glove, including the gloves!" Nepgear twirled around in her purple dress. Her pink D-pad was replaced with a corset flower and her choker was lace instead of metal.

"Geez Gear, didn't think you were into pretty dresses and such!" IF buttoned up her dress shirt fully and wrapped her blue tie around her neck, fiddling with it a bit before realizing that she had no idea how to tie a tie, luckily cave was there to tie it for her.

"So uh, Cave, do we have to give these back to you later?"

"No need, it didn't cost us too much, and Lady Vert would like you to keep it as a souvenir for out time spent together."

"How awfully generous of her, I don't wish to question her hospitality… but what's the reason behind all this err… lavishness."

"I cannot answer in place of Lady Vert, only project her wishes."

"I see, you don't know either, huh? Well, we should hurry and call a cab-"

"It is my utmost fortune to announce that such won't be necessary."

"Wait what? How?"

Cave smirked and held out both of her hands. "Ladies, if you will."

Nepgear and IF looked at each other reluctantly before reaching their hand out and grabbing Cave's

"Hold on tight girls" Cave braced herself before jumping out of the window with the two girls and running alongside the building. Hopping across skyscraper to skyscraper, getting closer to the basilicom from each jump.

Nepgear and IF were screaming for their lives as Cave elegantly flipped and twirled through the skyrises of Leanbox.

"Cave! You are absolutely insane!"

"It was Lady Vert's command to bring you to the basilicom with haste!"

"Is nearly killing us part of your orders!?"

"No, but it was not excluded either!"

"You cheeky bastard!"

"Hold on tight girls!" Cave dug her foot into one building and jumped with all her might across an entire bridge, and a couple dozen city blocks, just barely reaching the balcony of the basilicom.

"Welcome to Leanbox's basilicom ladies, please make yourself at home~"

"Yeah, about that… I think I need to-" Both Nepgear and IF vomited over the railing of the balcony and collapsed onto floor.

"Oh dear, I think I may have overdone it… just a tad bit too much…"

 _~Leanbox Basilicom entrance, Kei and Vio.~_

"What do you mean I can't get in! I'm on the guest list!" Kei, who had forgot her invitation, argued with the guards at the entrance. Meanwhile, Vio was standing behind the glass doors of the basilicom, smugly smiling at Kei with her invitation card between her fingertips. "C'mon, I'm on the list with Vio! And she has her invitation! Surely you can-"

"Ms. Jinguji! If you do not step away from the basilicom or provide the proper entrance papers, we will be forced to utilize lethal force!" The guard readied his rifle by his hip and aimed it at Kei.

"Are you serious!? Vio! Help me out here sister!" But Kei's cry would go ignored, as Vio sadistically smiled and waved back at the Oracle before entering the large crowd and disappearing into the crowd.

Kei, with a small tear dripping down the side of her face, walked away from the basilicom. "No… No! I'll show that bitch Vio! I'm going to sneak into that damn party. Even if it kills me!" Kei ran around the side of the skyscraper, and climbed upward, uncaring of falling to her death.

 _~3 hours ago; Rei's Limousine, Rei and Lid~_

"What do you want from me Lid? The party's starts in 3 hours and there's not a lot I can do. Better make it quick." Rei lit her cigar and slightly opened the window of her car to bring in some fresh air.

"I want soldiers, the lot of them. I want them to take over the actual guards in the basilicom."

"That's a lot to ask for in 3 hours, do you have the money?"

Lid brought out a suitcase of money she siphoned from Lastation's budget.

"I think this should be enough, right?"

Rei picked up the suitcase and flipped through each stack of dollar bills. "You sure this isn't being tracked by Noire?"

"Absolutely positive."

"Indeed. Sooo, a raid on Lady Vert's party huh? Why the sudden attack?"

"Vert is a corporate scumbag, uncaring of her people. She only cares for the upper ruling class, walking over her loyal citizens and exploiting them! Tossing them aside as they're consumed by the FN-epidemic! It is a travesty I say!"

"Hmm, alright. As much as I disagree with your radical beliefs for Noire, I find your patriotism… interesting. I imagine Noire won't be happy with you siphoning money from Lastation's government funds… are you sure you want to do this?"

"Undoubtedly, Noire may execute me if she must, but I cannot stand idle as innocent civilians - even if they're from Leanbox - suffer due to greed!"

"You know… its starting to sound more like you're trying to improve Lastation's image, am I correct?"

"I won't lie, if I expose Vert for the monster she is, then maybe the lower class of Leanbox will join us, no longer will the working class be slaves to their corporate masters! Now! The working class will have the support of nationalism on their side!"

"Mhm, that's really great of you, whatever men we can spare will take over the security force in two hours."

"Spare? Are you short staffed?"

"Most of our men died while fighting Iris Heart, I'd rather not talk about it right now. I think it'd be best if you were to take your leave right about now."

"Of course… this shall mark the day, the day that the ruling class falls!" Lid stood up out of her seat triumphantly, only to smack her head against the roof of the limo.

"You know, are you not uncomfortable trying to fit your entire suit into my limo?"

"I learn to manage with it after a while."

 _~Basilicom Party, Vert, Cave, and Chika~_

As the violins and bases of the orchestra rang through the halls, as the stoves and oven of the kitchen fired up, as the sneering and boasting of the aristocrats clamored across the dinner tables, Lady Very sat her table with Cave, Chika, and another noble.

"Lady Vert! It is such an honor meeting you here today! We've just arrived from the PC continent and we are real excited to hear what you have to say during your big speech. I don't suppose you could give us a little, preview of what you have to say, right?" The noble asked.

"Oh… I'm sure you will love it. Chika and I have gone through our investment charts, and I believe our recent profits are _very_ exciting. Leanbox's economy has been booming lately, the stock market has risen extraordinary amounts and most likely will only continue to rise. If I heard correctly, I believe Bungie's stock is roughly around 60 or maybe even above I imagine." The noble's jaw dropped after hearing the news from Lady Vert "Nonetheless, I have no doubts that our review of the last fiscal year will be _extraordinary_ "

"Nice… and also… I'm curious, what's this in the program about some… epidemic? Is this related to the FN-Epidemic perhaps?"

"Oh yes. I wanted to bring that up during the end of our review, the FN epidemic has been spreading across the outskirts of Leanbox and I think it's a real problem for the less fortunate people out there, I'm going to propose a possible fundraiser and charity to raise money for those afflicted by the FN-"

"Bahahaha! Wait… are you serious?"

"W-what? Serious about what?"

"Raising money for the poor? This is a joke right" The noble exclaimed in snobbery manner. "The lower class exist for us to profit from! They are _less_ than human, _we_ are humans. The poor serve to only work in our factories and breed like rats to create more workers for us. Not only that, but it is _us_ who creates the mass produced food that they slap on their dinner tables, it is _us_ who provides them their standardized education, it is _us_ and only _us_ who they should give their money to. The fact that we even bother paying those rats is proof enough that they owe us. Don't you agree Lady Vert? How else could your country have prospered so greatly?"

Vert found herself in a standstill, if she agreed with the noble, she'd betray herself and her feelings, but if she disagreed, her reputation among the wealthy individuals would diminish, she'd be ridiculed at her own party. She'd risk Leanbox's economic pride for her feelings. "U-uh, I uh…"

"Lady Vert?" The Noble pressured Vert to spit out her answer.

"I-uh…" Vert looked to her left, Chika was silently urging her to agree, and to her right was Cave, while not staring at Vert, the CPU could sense that she wanted her to disagree.

"I… yes I agree… sorry, I might've had too much to drink…"

"Haha! That's the Vert I've heard so much about! Charismatic even in embarrassment! Don't worry Lady Vert, I'm not confusing you to be a filthy communist or anything. Though, you might want to hold back on the alcohol! It'd be a shame if you were to collapse drunk during your big speech! Bahaha! Godspeed Lady Vert!" The noble stood up and patted the CPU on her shoulder before leaving to converse with the other wealthy men and women in the room.

"Phew…" Chika, released from tension, fell back into her seat. "You made the right choice Vert; I'll go tell as many people I can to ignore the epidemic part of our program. Don't worry Lady Vert, it was stupid for me to think we cram in a fundraiser during our fiscal year review…" Chika left the table in the direction opposite of the Noble.

On the other hand, a small tear dripped from Cave's eye.

"Uh, Cave… are you okay? Did what I say hurt you?"

"It's fine." Cave replied coldly as she wiped away her tear and stood back up straight. "Vert… permission to check on Nepgear and IF?"

"Go ahead."

Cave nodded and walked toward the buffet, as she drudged away, Vert noticed her wipe away another tear.

"Dammit!" Vert whispered to herself. "What the hell am I doing?"

 _~Basilicom Buffet, Nepgear and IF~_

"*Burp* Oh god… I think I'm going to vomit…" IF slumped back in her chair as emptied plates atop of empty plates were stack in front of her.

"You know… this is the part where I'd called you a fatass, but I'm really not much better. *Belch*" Nepgear as well had emptied out a myriad of dishes in front of her.

The nearby wealthy men and aristocrats looked at the two girls with disgust.

"Where did those rats come from?"

"Who invited some _peasants_ to _our_ party?"

Nepgear, upon hearing the insults and curses from the other men, grabbed IF and furiously walked away.

"H-hey, Nepgear! Don't pull me too hard!"

"We're surrounded by assholes; I'd rather not stick around with these idiots- Oh! Cave!"

The red-headed maid almost bumped head-on into the duo. "Umm, this is going to be _very_ out of line for me… but can you two follow me to the wine cellar?"

"Sure, whatever gets us away from these snobby rich fucks."

* * *

"What's up Cave? Just needed some fresh air… in a wine cellar?"

"No… I actually wanted to talk about a friend of yours, Compa was it?"

"Yeah, she got afflicted with the FN-Drug, that actually reminds us… is Vert going to do anything about it? I know she's a busy woman but surely she has plans for combating the spread of the FN-Epidemic."

"*Sigh* Nepgear… Iffy… I'm afraid Vert will be completely avoiding the issue of the FN-Drug tonight."

"What! Why would she do that!?"

"She was talking to one of the - how did you put it? - "snobby rich fucks". She was going to bring up a fundraiser and actually advocate for federal funds to be allocated for Anti-Epidemic measures, but when she mentioned it to one of the nobles, he laughed at her. I don't know why, but that caused Lady Vert to go back on her promise. I-I just don't understand why she went back so easily… I just…" Cave started to cry profusely and buried her head into her hands. "I've known her my whole life! And… *sniff* never have I seen her stoop so low!"

"Cave…" IF walked in front of Cave and held one of her hands. "You've known Vert your entire life, right? Surely she trust you."

"I don't know Ms. IF. I don't if I can speak up against her. Its just… I was really hoping that she'd fight the epidemic because… I too have a friend that's been corrupted by the epidemic…"

Nepgear grabbed a nearby wine bottle and popped open one of the barrels and offered the glass to Cave. "This friend of yours got a name?"

"Her name is MAGES, its an odd name I know, but… I was hoping that Lady Vert would be the one to save her, lord knows I can't do anything about it!" Cave's crying continued to worsen.

*Slap*

"Eh… Nepgear?" A red hand mark was pressed onto Cave's face before slowly simmering away.

"Stand up for yourself dammit! You may be loyal to Vert, but you're still a person, a person with her own problems and issues. No matter how much you say that you owe your life to Vert, you still have a right to talk. C'mon Cave! Get up! Crying and bickering in a wine cellar isn't going to help Compa or MAGES!"

Cave dropped set down the glass next to her seat, and looked down at the red alcohol below her, as she looked in her reflection, she finally felt something that she'd never thought she'd ever feel. Rebellion. "You're right Nepgear! Its my duty to set Lady Vert on the right path! I need her to save MAGES and Compa!" Wiping away her tears, Cave dusted off her dress and stomped out of the wine cellar, boldly, and determined.

"That's right! Now get out there, ignore all those stuck-up-rich fucks and tell Vert what she needs to know! Yeah… *Hurk!* Yeah… hey Iffy, you need to vomit?"

"Yeah… tell me about it… you think she'll be fine Gear?"

"She better be. And if Vert continues to refuse her, I'll just have both Vert _and_ Green Heart's ass! *Belch* Whelp… right after a cleanse my stomach… c'mon Iffy."

 _~15 minutes before the speech; Vert, behind the stage~_

Vert, depressed, sat down in the makeup room with a cigar between her fingers. Chika was applying some extra polish to Vert's nails.

"Chika… are you sure I made the right choice back there?"

"Undoubtedly, Lady Vert. Remember, unlike the other countries, Leanbox is also a business, that's what your dad always taught you. Remember? Its unbecoming of a CPU to let her emotions control her."

"That's true… but did I say that because it was right… or was it because I was scared?"

Chika noticed a tear drop down from Vert's face. "Oh nonono! Vert! This is not the time to cry! I just spent the last 45 minutes putting on your makeup, don't ruin it before the speech!"

"Lady Vert!" Cave entered the room determined and confident. "Please Lady Vert! You have to start funding Anti-Epidemic measures! Please!"

"Are you daft? Cave!?" Chika put her hands on her sides as she scolded the maid. "Lady Vert has to make _very_ stressful decisions as a CPU, she cannot merely make changes and actions on a whim based on the cries of some maid-"

"Chika!" Vert snapped at her Cigar in half and stood up out of her seat.

"Lady Vert! I'm sorry. I spoke out of line." Chika immediately fell to her knees and begged for forgiveness.

"It's fine… Cave…" Vert walked up to the red-headed maid. Easily towering over her.

Cave grew weary seeing her master look down on her, but she was determined to change her mind.

"Cave… can you forgive me?"

"Of course Vert… but I beg of you… please! You need stop the epidemic, you need whatever it takes to stop it and cure those cursed by it! I know it's horribly selfish of me to-"

"No. You're aren't selfish Cave. Far from it!" Vert grabbed her maid and hugged her tightly. " Cave, you're are the most selfless person I know! I was an idiot! I was a coward! I'm supposed to be a CPU; I'm supposed to have control of _my_ country! But instead, I gave in. I gave in and I let you down! But not anymore. Cave, I've known you my whole life, you been loyal to me for so many years, yet I've taken it for granted! All these politicians and businessmen, they aren't loyal to me, they just care about lining their own pockets! They don't care about the people of Leanbox! They don't care about me or you! But I'm not going to let you down again, I'm going to make it sure that the epidemic is stopped! And if I have to lose everything… so be it!"

"Lady Vert…" Cave held Vert tightly and started to cry. "Vert! Thank you…"

"Look… this is nice and all…" Chika muttered in a worried tone. "But… what about all the nobles? The aristocrats? The investors? Surely we can't just tell them to leave, right? "

"Chika… these greedy bastards represent less than a percent of Leanbox's population, yet they hold _so_ much power… do you not see the problem with that?"

Chika bowed down her head. "Whatever action you wish to take, I shall support you, Lady Vert."

Cave bowed her head as well. "So shall I, Lady Vert."

"That's all I needed to hear ladies... now! Its time to solve our epidemic!"

The three ladies of Leanbox bravely walked down the prep hall, the staff and security saluted the three as the exited the hall and entered the stage.

When Vert reached the podium, she took a good look at her audience. She knew that their expectations were very different from what Vert was hoping to do. She knew she would get booed and ridiculed off stage, but she had a job to do. Not just for Cave, Compa, IF, MAGES, or Nepgear. She _needed_ to do this. She had to stop the route that Leanbox was headed toward, no matter how much resistance confronted her.

Before she readied her speech, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a good moment, and then, released.

"I-"

*CRASH*

"What the hell!?"

A Harrier jet broke through the glass ceiling, dropping glass onto the wealthy folk below, and atop the glass stood a 9ft woman in a a cybernetic exoskeleton.

"Lid!" As the mass of patrons ran from the building, Vert immediately changed into her HDD form **Green Heart.**

"What do you think you are doing?"

"You? Have the gall to question _me_ CPU!?"

"Excuse me!" Green Heart transformed her spear into a sniper rifle and aimed her sight directly at Lid. "You're violating the peace treaty between Leanbox and Lastation! Cease your actions immediately or prepare to be faced with-"

"Silence you corporate sow! You reign of greed and gluttony comes to an end!" Lid, wasting no time, order the harrier to fire missiles at Green Heart.

"Not so fast!" Using great precision, Green Heart sniped the two missiles that were fired at her.

"SECURITY!" Chika yelled for armed guards to protect her and Green Heart, and when they came, they didn't aim their weapons at Lid. They put on gas mask and threw sleeper gas at the CPU.

"Tranquilizers!? You cheap bastards!"

"Lady Vert!" Cave grabbed her master by the arm. "We need to go now!"

"Cave? I can fight! Can't you!?"

"Yes, but… something doesn't feel right, we need to go! Now!"

"Fine!"

The three ran from the prep hall onto the emergency staircase. As they ran up, they could hear soldiers from below running up the stair case after them

"Aren't those guards with us!?" Chika frantically yelled as she ran

"No… our security must've been compromised! Someone's been planning this raid!" Cave panicked.

"It would seem so…" Green Heart growled angrily.

 _~Bathrooms, Nepgear and IF~_

"Jesus Christ! What the hell's going on out there?" Nepgear peeked out from the bathroom entrance door and saw a group of attacking special forces soldiers throw sleeper gas at Green Heart.

"Excuse me." Vio swung opened the door and the blockaded it from the inside with a food cart. "Our best bet to avoid getting caught is to stay in here before- Wait a second. Nepgear!?"

"Vio!" Nepgear Pulled out her rifle as Vio pulled out her samurai edge magnum. Both had their guns at the other's neck.

"Aren't those your soldiers? Why the hell are you hiding from them!?" Nepgear slid back the slide on her rifle, Vio slid back the slide of her handgun.

IF kicked open the door and already had her golden katars out. "Who the hell is- Vio!?"

"What the hell, the guild agent as well!? How the hell did you two idiots get in here!?"

"We could ask you the same thing you fucking psycho!"

*Bum-Badum-bum-badum*

"Wait, there's something in the vents!" Vio pointed her handgun at the airduct above them.

Nepgear reluctantly followed suit. "What the hell is that?"

The air vent above them started to shake, Nepgear and Vio readied their guns. "Whatever you are, you're fucking dead the moment you pop your ugly head out of that goddamn vent!"

The latch went loose, and out fell Kei Jinguji, covered in dust, grime, and feathers. "Christ! I've been crawling though air vents for an hour! How's the party?"

Vio and Nepgear looked at each other with major confusion.

"Well, it's fucked"

"Oh what! What happened?"

"Based on what I've seen, it appears Lid had started an unauthorized strike against Leanbox and Green Heart… but why?"

"Unauthorized?" IF sheathed her blades and leaned against the bathroom wall. "You telling me you didn't know about this?"

"That's it pretty much, why the hell would Lid would do that… I don't know. But. It looks like we're aren't going to be able to enjoy the rest of this night. The main hall is littered with tear gas, so we won't be able to leave that way. Eyup!" Vio jumped up and grabbed the air vent, crawling up toward the top of the basilicom.

IF grabbed Nepgear by the shoulder and pulled her closer to whisper in her ear. "Hey… why don't we just kill both of them right here?"

Nepgear whispered back into IF's ear "You know what? That's actually a pretty good idea. Okay… how about you- oh what the fuck!"

Before Nepgear and IF could devise a plan to kill the other two Lastation members, Vio and Kei had already climbed back into the air vents, and with great speed.

"You've got to be shitting me." Yelled Nepgear.

"Well, we've only got one path to go through, c'mon Gear! Give me a boost!"

 _~Upper Basilicom floors, Chika, Cave, and Green Heart~_

"The helipad is just up those stairs Lady Vert!" Chika, who was covered in blood, started shaking copiously, struggling with emptying her gun and reloading the magazine.

Five soldiers emerged from the doorway, immediately opening fire.

"Chika! Get behind me!" Green Heart manifested a shield for Chika and her to fire at the invaders.

"Leave it to me Lady Vert!" Cave ran along the walls and switched between them to dodge bullets from the enemy soldiers, when she got close, she kicked one of the in the face, breaking their helmet and killing them instantly. As the soldier fell, Cave grabbed his gun while in mid-air and seamlessly killed two other invaders while still in the air.

"I've got your back, Cave!" Green Heart fired a single shot which killed one of the intruders which pierced through his skull and ricocheted off the wall behind him and killed the hostile right behind Cave.

"Let's go Vert! There should be a helicopter waiting for us!"

When the three reached the top of the staircase, a helicopter pilot was waving at the to come aboard, but before the trio could get any further, Lid and her Harrier rose up from behind and destroyed the chopper, trapping the three on top of the basilicom.

"Cave!" Chika cried, "Can't you run and jump real far! Take us out of here dammit!"

"There's no way I can outrun that harrier, we have to destroy it!"

"No."

"Lady Vert! Why-"

"Cave! Take Chika with you and run! I'll fight the harrier alone!"

"Lady Vert! I can't simply-"

Lid fired another batch of missiles which were deflected by Green Heart's spear. "Your fight's with me Lid!"

"Very well then!" Lid flew the harrier closer to Green Heart while Cave jumped off and escaped the basilicom while carrying Chika.

"Do you truly believe you can kill a CPU?"

Lid hopped off the plane and called it to retreat. "Do you know what day it is today?"

Green Heart, rightfully confused, lowered down her spear for a second, while still keeping her eye on Lid. "Um… April 16? What about it?"

"That's right… this is the day that Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation act in 1862!"

"I-I don't see how that's relevant…"

"Of course you wouldn't you slave driver! You're so used to riding off the backs of your own citizens, you don't even realize the folly of your own actions! Just as Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves of America from their greedy plantation owners all those years ago, I shall liberate the working class of Leanbox from your corporate hands!"

"Judging by the amount of trash that just came from your mouth, I'm going to assume a civilized debate is out of the question…"

"Bold of you to assume it was ever a choice… Lady Vert!"

Unsheathing her two blades, Lid jumped into the air and prepared to slam Green Heart with her HF blades.

"Such bulkiness and inelegance, so easy to punish!" Green Heart charged at the crashed general, only to quickly step back and block to avoid one of Lid's metallic tendrils. "What the? Such cheap tactics!?"

Lid loosened up her two arms and arched her tendrils. "You are a CPU! You are undeserving of honor!"

"Nonsense!"

The two parried and countered each other ruthlessly, Green Heart's insane speed helped her deflect both blades and tendrils, but she troubled to find an opening through Lid's relentless assault.

Lid grew angrier and frustrated; her attacks became more savage and sloppy as she continued to swing her blades left and right. "I'm getting real sick of your shit you capitalist dog!" Lid shuffled back and charged at Green Heart recklessly, cutting into her right shoulder.

"Fool!" Green Heart used this opportunity to pull Lid closer and cut off one of her tendrils, the metallic arm fell of the side of the basilicom.

"Damn it! Not again!" Lid bashed against the CPUs spear, hoping to tire her out faster the she would herself.

"Your patriotism blinds you Lid! I do not wish to enslave my people; I wish to help them! But Leanbox's democratic government is-"

"Shut up!" Lid knocked back Green Heart and staggered her, giving Lid and opening to impale Green Heart's leg.

"Damn you, Lid!" Green Heart sprouted her back processor unit and charged at the General with all her might, her spear clashed against her blade violently, the sparks they created incinerated the helipad below them.

"There we go! I know why you can't just fly away with your itty bitty wings now! Your flight unit takes up share energy! Are you finally going to go all out!?"

"Silence!" Green Heart smashed her spear against Lid's sword, knocking her off the roof.

"You won't get me that easily!" Lid used her last tendril to grab onto the ledge and pull herself back up, dropkicking Green Heart in the face and launching her back.

"Lastation scum!" Green Heart furiously threw her spear at Lid.

The general tried to catch it with her tendril, only for the spear to pierce through her metallic arm, the spear then spun around and landed back in the hands of Green Heart. "Your tricks are gone! Surrender now Lid!"

"Good work Vert! But this is where it gets interesting!" Lid ejected her backpack that contained the two tendrils and swelled up her suit, making her stronger and larger. "Try keeping up with this!" Lid planted her two swords onto the surface and with terrifying speed, she skid across the helipad, the scratch marks she indented into the metal surface left behind trails of fire.

"What the… what is this speed!" Green Heart took the defensive as Lid charged at her weakening her guard by dash. The flames left behind by Lid grew fierce and stronger, soon, the roof as a whole was starting to erupt into flames. "Dammit, I need to make a move fast before she breaks my guard!" In a daring maneuver, Green pole-vaulted over Lid as she charged at her, leaving Lid's back wide open for an attack. "You're finished!"

But before Green Heart could land a finishing blow, in an instant flash, her spear bounced off another blade, not one that belonged to lid though, its surface and tension felt more akin to **rapier** , when Green Heart landed back onto the ground, she knew exactly who had intervened.

"Noire!"

The twin-tailed fascist CPU had teleported into the fray and interfered with the fight.

"Lady Noire, what are you doing here? This is my fight! I should-"

"Shut up. You've cause me more than enough trouble. Now stand back before I kill both of you idiots!"

Lid, compliant with her CPU master, stood back.

"Black Heart! Why did you attack unnoticed! What have we done to provoke such a violent response!?"

"You didn't do jack shit. The idiot behind me used government funds to hire CPU-DL soldiers to hijack your party."

"Lady Noire! How did you-"

Noire casually pulled out her handgun and shot next to Lid's foot. "Interrupt me one more time Lid, the next shot isn't going to be a blank. Anyways, before I was so rudely interrupted, I must apologize Green Heart, this attack was not authorized by me and I take full responsibility for Lid's actions…"

Green Heart, knowing full well of who Black Heart really was, rolled her eyes "But…"

".. that is what I would say if I were a cowardly CPU. I have no intention of paying for the damages caused today, so I think I'll just destroy the rest of your country. How's that sound, huh?"

"I won't falter like the other two CPUs!" Readying her spear, Green Heart prepared for a second fight, this time with another CPU as her enemy.

"Lid! You son of a bitch!" IF yelled as she and Nepgear ran onto the helipad.

"IF, Nepgear! It's dangerous here you mustn't fight!" Green Heart begged the duo.

Black Heart and Lid turned around to see the the guild agent and Planeptune's CPU candidate right behind them.

"Fine." Black Heart said to Lid "You can take care of those two idiots."

"With Pleasure."

Vio and Kei stood by behind a container and casually watched.

"Whose going to make it out alive?" Kei asked tiredly as she let out a zestful yawn.

"My bet's on Black Heart decimating Green Heart. I'm kinda iffy with Lid, I also don't really care about Lid either so… eh." Vio uninterestingly claimed.

"Round two you one-eyed cunt!" Nepgear prepped her beam saber and rifle.

"I've got all the reason to curb stomp your ugly ass into the dirt!" IF prepped her dual katars and readied for a rematch with the one-eyed cybernetic menace.

"This should be fun." Lid dug her blades into the ground again. "I incinerated your friend's house, now, I shall incinerate your existence!"

"Let's make this quick, All-right? I've got business back in Lastation…" Black Heart tiredly provoked.

"Your cockiness insults me." Green Heart taunted back.

With the blades in hand and their words out of the way. A fierce battle of 5 individuals. A candidate and an agent against a war-hungry cybernetic general. And the goddess of Democratic green clashing against the goddess of Fascist black.

 _~Black Heart Vs. Green Heart~_

Black Heart had the advantage over Green Heart, who had already been tired out from the battle with Lid. Black Heart managed to cut away at Green Heart's armor, her rapier swings managing to cut through despite Green Heart's attempts at blocking.

"You're a weak and worthless CPU. Your existence humiliates me, the fact that we were even considered of the same caliber of strength insults me!" Black Heart pushed away Green Heart.

"Your meaningless accusation interest me not!" Green Heart knocked her opponent's rapier in the air and swung in for a stab against Black Heart, only for the opposing CPU to grab the end of her spear and disarm Green Heart, breaking the spear in half.

"How the hell did you-"

Black Heart ruthlessly kicked Green Heart in the face, knocking her closer to the edge of the helipad. "Pathetic! Surely the CPU of Leanbox could put up a better fight than this! Oh wait… you can't rely on money now, can't you!?"

"Can it!" Green Heart stood back up and upper cut Black Heart directly below the jaw. The impact was so fierce that even Nepgear, IF, and Lid, stopped to see what happened.

"You…" Black Heart wiped away the blood from her mouth and threw away her rapier. "I'm going to bash my fist through your worthless skull!"

With their weapons gone, the two CPUs brutally punished each other with their fist and boots. Their fight became slower, but even more visceral.

 _~Nepgear and IF Vs. Lid~_

Nepgear supported IF from behind with her assault rifle. As IF kept up the pressure with her daggers, Nepgear providing covering fire and ensured that Lid wouldn't try to dash at them with her flaming swords,

The battle between IF and Lid grew even more intense, the deflection and sliding of their blades created after images that not even Nepgear could keep up with.

"I'll split you in two!" Lid knocked back IF and lunged in for a killing blow.

"Not so fast!" Nepgear pulled back IF, and blocked Lid's blade with her beam saber. Then, it was IF who provided covering fire for Nepgear.

Nepgear's swordsmanship was sloppy, but still able to keep up against Lid's dual wielding. Her beam-saber was well crafted and even partially cracked Lid's HF blades.

"I'm getting real tired of this bullshit!" Lid Planted her blades into the ground again and dashed toward Nepgear once more.

"Shit!" When their blades collided, Nepgear was sent even further back.

"How hilarious! Not even two of you idiots combined can defeat me!" Lid turned around to see IF dashing at her. "Heh… foolish!" Lid turned around instantly and dropped one of her blades to grab IF by the neck.

"Gah! You… sonuva!" IF ponded against Lid's metallic arm to no effect. Each finger felt like an individual vice squeezing down on her neck as she struggled to keep fighting.

Nepgear, with her blade ready, charged back at Lid, unfortunately, Lid detected Nepgear running back at her and threw IF at her. Nepgear slid under the thrown agent fast enough and jumped back into the air to knee Lid in the face, giving her a bloody nose.

"You worthless sack of shit!" Lid grabbed both of swords and struck down at Nepgear.

Despite its durability, Nepgear's strength folded through and she was knock back. As she jolted from Lid's strike, the general went in for a killing blow, piercing her blade through Nepgear's stomach.

"No!" IF struggled to push herself off the ground as Lid held Nepgear in the air by the end of her sword and kicked her off the roof of the basilicom. "GEAR!" IF dashed passed Lid to try and grab Nepgear's arm, only she was too late, and Nepgear plummeted toward the ground.

"Get back up here!" Lid Grabbed the guild agent and picked her back up in the air. "Annoying brats like you belong in a concentration camp!"

"Fuck you!" IF spit blood into Lid's face.

Without response, Lid slammed IF in the ground and knocked her out, cold.

"I thinks its about time we wrapped things up."

Lid lifted her foot right above IF's head, ready to crush it into nothing.

"Wait!" Vio approached Lid from behind.

"Vio! What are you doing?"

"I'd like to use this woman for my… experiments."

"Tch… fine! I guess a simple death would be too easy."

Lid lifted the Guild agent over her shoulder, while looking at Black Heart's fight.

 _~Green Heart Vs. Black heart~_

Green Heart was covered in bruises, her right eye was beaten to a pulp and she vomited blood in the middle of her fight.

"I'll give you some credit Vert, you managed to last longer than Neptune and Blanc! I'll give you that much!"

"Quit talking already!" Green Heart went in for a crushing blow, only for Noire to dodge it swiftly and catch her arm mid swing.

"What!?"

In an instant, Black Heart snapped Green Heart's arm. Leanbox's CPU screamed in agony as Black Heart continued to twist her dislocated forearm further and further. "Aww is the bitch CPU going to cry!?"

"Never *cough* NEVER!"

"Whatever" Black Heart kicked Green Heart into the ground and stomped on her stomach relentlessly.

Green Heart continued to vomit even more blood until Noire was sadistically satisfied. "Now… that CPU memory!" Noire took out her scythe once again and aimed it a Green Heart's Neck. The CPU couldn't even struggle, let alone move. She just laid there silently as Noire prepared to steal her power.

Until a mysterious girl, the same girl who had attacked Vio and saved IF from before with her red eyes and pigtails, stopped Black Heart's scythe effortlessly.

"What! Why are you-"

Before Black Heart could even fully react, the girl punched Black Heart in the stomach with such force, that she transformed back into Noire and collapsed to the floor.

"I can't… allow you… to… destroy…Gamindustri… anymore…" The girl carried Green Heart and teleported away.

"NO!" Noire reached out to grab her, only for her hand to catch nothing but thin air.

Vio, Kei, and Lid, stood there horrified, Lid especially. For they knew that when Noire didn't get what she wanted, she would get become absolutely _livid_.

"VIO!"

"Yes ma'am!" The scientist scrambled to pull out her remote and opened a portal back to Lastation.

As Lid entered first, carrying an unconscious IF, Noire radioed Lastation's air force.

"I don't care if there are people still left in the basilicom! I want every goddamn plane in stock to bomb it to hell! If I check the news tomorrow morning and _still_ see a building here tomorrow morning, I will personally and publicly execute _every_ member of the Lastation air force with my bare fucking hands, do you hear me! I want this building GONE!"

Noire slammed the radio into the pavement and walked into the portal with the other two girls.

 _~Nepgear~_

As Nepgear fell off the side of the building, she stabbed her beam saber into the building, and pressed her feet against the glass. She made a long gash into the building as millions of shards of glass fell from above her.

"And… now!" The candidate pushed up and divebombed back into the building.

"All right, I'm safe for now. IF! I need to get back to her!" As Neptune ran up the staircase, a sudden crash made her stumble back down the stairs.

"What the hell-"

*Crash*

"Dammit! Is this building going to collapse!?"

"Come… with… me…"

Nepgear, shocked, turned around to see the mysterious girl.

"Wait, aren't you the girl who saved IF? Who are you!?"

"No… time…"

"But Green Heart and IF!"

"Vert… okay…."

"What about IF!?"

"Taken… portal… please…"

The girl reached out her hand.

"Dammit!"

Nepgear grabbed the girl's hand and the two teleported away from the building.

 _~Abandoned building, Cave and Chika~_

"Is is out… please tell me its out!" Cave, who was washing the blood out of Chika's hair, looked outside the window to see Leanbox's basilicom bombarded by hundreds upon thousands of Lastation aircraft,"

"Chika… look…" Cave held her hands over her mouth in horror. The place that Vert and she had invested so many shares and time into… gone in a flash. "Lady Vert!"

Chika who had looked out the window, couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. "How is this possible… This is a bad dream, right cave? C'mon Cave! Hit me! This is just a bad dream dammit! We've got to wake up! We've got to wake up damn it!" Chika started to pull out her hair in a frenzied catharsis. Chika could not comprehend the idea of Leanbox's basilicom simply being destroyed.

"Oh my god… its collapsing…"

The lights of the basilicom went black and the entire building's support structure had been demolished. Just like Chika's hope, the entire building came crashing down, crumbling to bits in a matter of seconds.

Cave and Chika had no more words, they could only watch in horror. In the span of a single day, their entire country had been destabilized, ruined, and annihilated.

 **End of Act 3**

 **To be continued.**


	11. Chapter 11: Unwavery Bravery

_Story So Far:_

 _Its fucked, everything's fucked._

 _Now:_

 _Everything's still fucked._

Act 4: Glass Escapade.

Chapter 11:

 _~3 Days later; Leanbox outskirts: Slums, Vert and Nepgear~_

"Oh heavens… I feel… awful. Where am I?" Was the first thing Vert said when she woke up. After glancing to her left and right quickly, she realized that she was being sheltered in a crudely made home. The ceiling was cracked and exposed which provided the only light source for the entire room, the walls jittered as if they could break any minute, and the floor felt like spiked sandpaper against the CPU's skin. "Oh lord… my head is killing me… where's… where!-"

"Calm down… you aren't dead yet." Nepgear, who was leaning against the wall in a corner only lit by the burning end of her cigarette, pulled out a cracked knife and tossed it to Vert. "I tried the best with what I could do… but, I don't think you're going to like it."

"Like what?" When Vert picked up the knife; she jerked back, mortified. "What in- what happened to me? Why is my memory so blurry? Nepgear! What happened!?" Vert examined the reflection further, there was a bandage that was wrapped shoddily around her right eye. When she tried to push herself up, her stomach pounded with raw pain, causing her to fall back to the ground defeated and broken. "Nepgear… what happened to the basilicom!? What happened to the city?"

"Black Heart kicked your ass. Simple as that. She beat you to a pulp and dropped your basilicom with her air force, made 9/11 look like a fucking joke…" Nepgear pulled away her cigarette and exhaled briefly before putting it back in. The smoke stagnated through the air for a bit before seeping through the cracks in the ceiling. "Your military has surrendered for the most part, those who didn't either ran away or were executed. Your entire air force was absolved by Lastation's, and your people are being rounded up by the masses. Some were sent to firing squads while others were put on trains back to Lastation."

"Rounded up? What do you mean?"

"Some were sent to firing squads while others were put on trains back to Lastation. That's what I just said, are you listening!?"

"They're killing civilians!? Has Noire gone mad!? What could've possibly happened."

"Hell if I know, all I can guess is that it has something to do with her being unable to capture your CPU memory. Those firing squads, I've seen them… they're demented. They'd line up the civilians and put em up at gunpoint. Then, they'd start playing one of your speeches behind them… made them believe that you were nearby, ready to save them. And just as they were filled with hope, they were also gunned down with a fuckton of rounds."

"They… gave my people hope and then killed them!? That's just sadistic! That's mad! That's absolutely insane! That's not even murder or genocide, that's just pure nihilism! Who would do this!? First the epidemic… and now this!? What could I possibly do, Nepgear!?"

"Well… to be honest… I've got nothing either. I'm out of ammo and I gave away all my ration cards."

"Ration cards? I've never heard of such"

"Whatever was left of your military has set up a base of operations here and established a rationing system to help negotiate with the citizens… what was her name again? Ah, Chika, she's set up a pseudo government with all the poor folk in the slums and outskirts. Whatever's left of Leanbox is trying its damndest to push back against the Lastation military."

"Chika is here! Can I see her?"

"She came to visit you while you were knocked out. She's in the town hall if you want to see her."

"That would be most pleasurable… though I hate to burden you at such a time, but I must beg of you. Could you kindly carry me there?"

"Yeah, fine…"

 _~Planeptune Basilicom, Neptune~_

The weary CPU had ice packs strapped to her legs and arms as she delighted herself with a cup of pudding. Bored out of her mind, and no video games to play since Iris Heart had destroyed all the gaming consoles during her reign. Neptune found herself watching the news. "Hmm, what's going on with the rest of the world?"

A blonde news reporter appeared on screen as she walked through Leanbox's ghettos. "This is Dengekiko Journal reporting in! Live from Leanbox's slums! As we can see here, the streets are crowded, with civilians, soldiers, vehicles, all crowding up the streets as Leanbox's military is continually being pushed back by Lastation's military. Hey! Ma'am! Can you tell us the situation with Lastation troopers in Leanbox's capital?" Dengekiko approached a random woman who was sitting on the sidewalk and pressed the microphone up to her.

"After the basilicom collapsed… hundreds upon thousands of soldiers just stormed through the city. My husband, who was in the military, I was with him until we came under fire by Lastation's storm troopers… then… then I saw a bullet go straight through his head! He was holding our daughter's hand when that happened, and before I could grab her… she…" The woman burst to tears as she told the rest of her story. "Then they took her and put her on one of those trains back to Lastation! I tired to run after her… but I… but-"

"That's okay ma'am, you don't to tell us anymore." Dengekiko handed the crying woman a handkerchief and shook her head toward the camera before cutting off the stream.

Neptune was dumbfounded, she knew Noire was going to wreak havoc across Gamindustri, she expected it. But even then, she still felt herself become anxious.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Come in!" Neptune shut off the T.V and turned around in shock, Falcom, Blanc, and Mina – who was in a wheelchair – all showed up at her doorstep.

"Woah! What the! Blanc!? Falcom!? Mina! What are you guys doing here!?"

"Yeah! Blanc needed to talk to you, and uh… we kinda had to come with her." Falcom went behind Mina and started to push her towards the couch before the Oracle stopped her, "Yo, Mina, you want to say something?"

"Of course, Neptune!" Mina looked sternly at Planeptune's CPU; Neptune felt a chill raze down the back of her spine. "Blanc has some _very_ important information for you, I suggest you pay close attention to her!"

"Uh- Yes ma'am!" Neptune stood up straight before easing herself as Mina was pulled away.

Blanc took off her hat and bowed to Neptune. "Neppy… I'm sorry for how I treated you back in Lowee… my actions were brash and rude… and-"

"Well that's one way of putting it, sheesh. Anyways, I dealt with Iris Heart. You guys just come by for dinner?"

"No… it's worse."

"Geez Blanc, my cooking's not that bad-"

"Neptune! There's an imposter in Lowee! I don't know how, but someone made a fake version of me who can transform! They've taken my place and kicked me out of Lowee. I just… I-" Blanc's voice became frantic and frenzied. A stark contrast to her usual cold and confident demeanor.

"Woah! Okay slow down! What the hell happened!?" Neptune dropped her pudding and cleaned up a seat for Blanc and the others. "Take a seat Blanc, just try and calm down first. Where did this imposter come from!?"

"I-I don't know… she just walked into my basilicom, and since she was able to transform, and I wasn't… the government officials assumed I was a defective imposter and exiled me. Neptune… I don't have a home! I was kicked out of my own and I don't deserve to stay here either I-"

"Nonsense Blanc! You can rely on me anytime! Just make sure not eat any of the pudding marked with _my_ name."

"Dammit Neptune!" Blanc slammed her fist into the counter "How the hell are you so… ignorant!"

"Ignorant of what? Did I not put deodorant on? That's a mistake on my-"

"No! Did you simply just forget how horribly I treated you!? How I left you alone, destroyed our relationship so I could focus on my duties as a CPU! I left you to starve on the streets as I went on working! How can you so easily gloss over all the crap I put you through!?"

"Oh… that. Tch, geez Blanc… you gotta be _so_ Melodramatic! Heh, calm down, I know you had your reasons for dissolving our relationship…" Neptune hopped over the counter and poured Blanc a glass of scotch. "It's aged, 30 years, Mina handed it to me before I left Lowee, I don't like to drink much, but I kept it as a souvenir. Nepgear takes a shot of it every now and then."

"You're just ignoring me!"

"I'm not, I just don't care."

"W-what!? Don't care!?"

"Yeah, all the crap you put me through. I didn't like it. But I'm not mad at you for it. You had reasons, it's not like you left me because you hated me… I got no ill will towards ya Blanny. Besides, I'm a CPU! A couple months of starving and homelessness isn't going to kill me."

"How… how the hell are you so forgiving!? How are you so stupidly optimistic!? Are you not angry with me!?"

"Nah… there's only one CPU I've got bad blood with, and she lives not too far from here in her high tower, fancying with her annoying black twin-tails and nihilistic ramblings. But you Blanny? C'mon, I could never get mad with you. No matter how far you push me away, I'll still care for you. Even if we're not together, and most likely will never be again, you still hold a special place in my Heart."

"Damn you Neptune! Stop playing with my Heart!"

"I'm not playing with you Blanny, I'm simply telling you the truth. You're the one playing with your own heart."

"W-what! What is that supposed to mean!"

"It means that you're overcomplicating things. So try and calm down a bit, alright? If you want to punch me, go ahead. As long as it cools your head."

"Oh… I… I guess. HYAH!" Blanc threw an earth-shattering punch at Neptune's face. The purple-haired CPU just stood there and took it, unmoving and undisturbed, with a smile on her face.

"Feeling better yet?" Neptune asked as she washed Blanc's glass and put it in the dishwasher.

"Umm… yeah… sure. Um… are you okay. I kinda went all out there."

"Nah, that was nothing…"

"Hey! Are you calling me weak or something!?"

"Nah, I just wanted to make you happy, that's all."

Blanc pouted from Neptune's response, no amount of words could describe the bundle and mish-mash of emotions she felt with Neptune. She couldn't bring herself to hate or love her.

"So… have you two made up yet?" Mina rolled herself toward the chatting couple as Falcom walked right behind her.

"Made up? Foolish of you to assume I had any animosity toward Blanc."

"Whatever Neptune!" Blanc mumbled as she continued to pout.

"Anyways… there's a more pressing issue at hand." Mina pulled out a cigar and handed Blanc her tobacco pipe.

"Oh come on guys, everyone in this friggin Fic is smoking! "Nepu May Cry?" More like "Nepu May Die of Lung Cancer!"

"As I was saying!" Mina gritted her teeth; the bending of the bone marrow had shut up Neptune easily. "Neptune, you remember Rom and Ram? Correct?"

"Of course! I could never forget those cuties! Wait… where are they? You guys brought them along, right?"

"And that's where our issue begins…" Mina lit Blanc's pipe and then lit her own cigar. "Before we could grab the twins, Fake Blanc stopped us and threw us out of the Basilicom. While technically, she hasn't done anything against Lowee law, she's still an imposter of Lady Blanc, thus, her reign is illegitimate."

"Well damn, I'm still recovering from my fight with Iris Heart. But…" Neptune summoned Excalibur on her back and the Nep Blade in her hand. "I could give these bad boys another test run"

Falcom's jaw dropped as she saw Neptune's legendary swords. "Woah! When did you start packing such heat!?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you as we get to Lowee."

"Oh yeah, alright, but we just got here. Are we going back immediately?"

"Of course! You're an adventurer Falcom! Don't tell me a little bit of walking is going to tire you out!"

"Uh-uh-of course not!"

"Well I'm coming too!" Blanc summoned her hammer inside Neptune's living room, crashing a couple seats and the floor. "And don't even think about stopping me! Neptune!"

"All right! A party of three! Well, I won't mind that at all! Make sure the place doesn't get too dirty Mina!"

"I make no promises…" Mina smugly said as she snuffed her cigar into the floor. "Oh wait, actually, Neptune… take this." Mina reached into her purse and pulled out a large handgun in a massive holster. "I modified mine to make it so strong that its basically unusable by humans. I thought you need the extra kick"

"Aw geez Mina, you shouldn't have!" Neptune strapped the pistol under her shoulder and kicked the door open. "You ready girls!?"

"Hell yeah!" yelled Falcom and Blanc.

"This party's just getting crazy, let's rock!" Neptune pressed the elevator button to the lower floor, starting comfortable jazz music which played throughout the elevator's intercom as it went down.

"Jeez… those two are so friggin dramatic" Mina wheeled over behind the counter and grabbed her old whiskey. "How ya doing old faithful?"

 _~Leanbox slums: Town Hall, Nepgear, Chika, and Vert~_

"Out of the way way everyone, c'mon! Make room!" Nepgear waved away and urged people to move as she carried Vert with her one arm through the town hall.

"Vert! Darling!" Chika ran through the crowd, and lifted Vert from Nepgear. Carrying her toward the table that was placed in the center of a stage in the stadium.

The people of Leanbox were affrighted by the sight of their once strong and tall standing CPU was now beaten, battered, broken, and humiliated.

Nepgear walked up and sat next to the weary CPU and her oracle atop the stage.

Chika was busy observing Vert's wounds, the more bruises and bandages she saw, the more she felt sick. "Lady Vert… How could this happen!?" The Oracle hugged her CPU out of fear, clutching her arms and back. "I'm scared Vert! I can't run this country without you…"

Vert, doing her best not to move sporadically, wrapped her arm around Chika as well. "I lost… and it's humiliating. But I can't give up now. Not on my people, and I'm going to need your help doing doing so. I need you to stay calm Chika, you're an Oracle, and my advisor. I can't have you freaking out on me, okay?"

"Chika eased off the CPU and fixed her collar, wiping away her tears." Of course Lady Vert! I won't let you down."

"Good!" Vert tried to push herself back up and off the table, but her injuries had pushed her back down. "Damn… I can't even fight for my country, let alone stand for it… how pathetic of me…"

"Geez Vert! Giving up already?" Nepgear handed her a steel crutch that was adjusted perfectly for Vert.

"Nepgear… how did you-"

"Its nothing! You guys got any more scrap metal?" Nepgear shouted at the rest of the crowd.

"We've got some behind the metal works factory, what for?" One random citizen asserted.

"We'll things just might get interesting…" Nepgear deviously smiled and walked out from the town hall. "Give me a minute guys… I'll be back."

Vert watched Nepgear curiously as the candidate gleefully skipped from the hall to the factory.

"Well… never mind her… Chika. Where's Cave?"

When Chika heard Vert's question, intense sorrow had consumed her demeanor. "Cave… she was…"

 _~1 day ago~_

After the basilicom was destroyed, Cave and I, we stayed low. We hid and survived for two days without food or water. The city was mostly abandoned where we were, so we started to head out, and see if we could make it out of the country.

That was until we saw lines of citizens headed toward Lastation's firing squads, coward I was, I wanted to run, there were – and I know I counted perfectly – 300 Lastation personnel there. I know its our duty to protect Lastation's citizens. But I… I didn't have the strength to fight. But Cave? I don't know how that woman does it, but she simply dusted of her dress and took a single pocket knife.

And by god… with _just_ that pocket knife, she killed at least 50 of those guards, _before_ she was detected. Brutally too. I watched her back and radioed in with her as she took out the Lastation bastards.

When she got caught, she still continued to fight, and she even managed to free some of the citizens, who joined in the fight as well. What at first seemed to be a mass genocide turned into a fight against the odds. Cave had single handedly freed the prisoners and killed a majority of those bastards! But… that was until _she_ showed up…

Vio, that son of a bitch shot Cave in the leg, and then in the shoulder. I tried to run after her, but I ended up get caught up with the crowd that ran away. The last I saw Cave; Vio was holding her by the neck and had opened a portal, presumably toward Lastation.

I managed to escape the city with the citizens and some extra military to the slums… and that's how we ended up here.

 _~Present Time~_

"I'm scared Vert… I feel awful... if I wasn't such a coward… then Cave wouldn't have-"

"Stop it! Blaming yourself won't help anyone, if you had fought past your limits, then you would've been killed. Then there would have been _no one_ to lead these people to safety! Do you understand me Chika!?"

"Y-yes ma'am. Thank you… for understanding me."

"Hey hey hey! This day be jolly and gay!" Nepgear barged back into the town hall, the citizens there giving her a very odd stare. "Ya'll might want to come outside!"

Vert and Chika looked at each other reluctantly before following the eager candidate outside.

"Okay… what the hell is that?" Chika's expression went from reluctance to disbelief.

Standing tall above the people of Leanbox, a massive and mechanical caricature of Nepgear towered at 80 ft. Impressing and inspiring the people of Leanbox. "Behold, my latest creation. **NEPGEARDAM!"**

"Nepgear! How did you create such a marvel?"

"Oh, I just used the leftover scrap from the metal factory. Why do think I asked for it?"

"Okay I get that, but how the hell did you create it in such little time?"

"Because 90k9 is a shitty and lazy fanfiction writer!"

The people of Leanbox looked at each other nodded in agreement to Nepgear's statement.

"With this machine, we can push back Lastation's forces! Noire may have the upper hand for now, but when I come rolling back into Leanbox's remains with these bad boys, those Nazi bastards are gonna have to shit their pants."

"Wait! Nepgear, did you say _these_ bad boys?" Vert walked closer to the large mecha. And was surprised to see a small battalion of automaton soldiers lined up next to it. "Nepgear! You never told us you were such an entrepreneur with machines!"

"I majored in mechanical engineering in high school! I also interned for Elon Musk III!"

"That's amazing, how come you've never used these talents before?"

"I got wrapped up with my sister's shitty CPU business, never got time to go full time roboticist!"

"That's a shame, I feel you could be a great asset for Leanbox!"

"What is that Vert? Are you hitting on me?"

"Possibly!"

Chika grew angry and flustered from the exchange. Desperate to grab Vert's attention, she changed the subject matter herself. "Vert! Maybe we could use the Nepgear to destroy the Lastation tracks! We could prevent those Lastation bastards from taking any more of our people."

"That's a great idea Chika… but still… It feels wrong having an armed conflict without being involved myself."

"Oi, there's still one more issue." Nepgear lit up another cigarette as she sat on top of the Nepgeardam, "What are we going to do about the people who can't fight? This place is about to become a war zone soon, and…" Nepgear watched as large groups of children played and chatted at the playgrounds and stores of the slums. "… I'd rather we not involve any ore innocents."

"Planeptune… Nepgear! We could send them to Planeptune! They would be safe since Iris Heart has been defeated and Neptune reclaimed control!"

"Yeah… yeah sure, my crib might work. We could use the extra labor for industry, there'd be warm food and fresh water, and the people wouldn't have to worry about being killed by some Lastation cuntbags, you fine with that Vert?"

"Of course! Chika, get me a loudspeaker! Anything that can help me communicate with the rest of the slums."

"With pleasure Lady Vert!"

Nepgear piloted the Nepgeardam to pick up Vert with its hand, as Vert stood a top her citizens, she felt heart-wrenched by the sight of people, young and old, who genuinely looked up to her. Unlike the confines of inner Leanbox, these people had no agendas, no ulterior motives, and no desire for monetary gain. The people that looked up to Vert had naught but unadulterated faith in their CPU leader.

With her voice booming with a loudspeaker, Vert called upon the people of Leanbox to support her. "My people, for too long have I abandoned you! With the rise of FN epidemic and now a full invasion of Leanbox by Lastation, it is my duty to rise up and lead the people of Leanbox myself to conquer this insurmountable evil! Some of you will not be able to fight, such as children, expecting mothers, and the elderly. You will be safe by taking refuge in the country of Planeptune. Meanwhile, those who are willing to fight back, those who are willing to take arms and fight for your country, now is the time to raise your arms into the air! Now, more than ever, is your servitude and bravery needed. As you can see, I cannot win this war alone! But we will make strong allies! Neptune! Blanc! The CPUs of the other countries will and most undoubtedly ally with us to combat the fascist surge of Lastation! But until that time comes, it will be up to you! My loyal citizens, to stand your ground and raise your flag! Raise your flag for your children! Raise your flag for your family! Raise your flag for your friends and comrades! Raise your flags for your freedom! And most of all, RAISE YOUR FLAG FOR LEANBOX!"

Despite her status, Vert raised Leanbox's flag with her arms, and stood proud against her injuries. For she, and the rest of Leanbox knew, that Leanbox had not yet died.

 _~Gamindustri Plains: Between Leanbox and Lastation, Falcom, Blanc, and Neptune.~_

"How well did you get along with the twins Falcom?" Neptune, who had taken the lead, lead the three toward Lowee. Their journey wouldn't take too long, but boredom was not something that Neptune was well accustomed to.

"It was quite fun actually! Ram was really playful, and Rom liked listening to me read her stories to bed."

"Falcom…" Blanc looked down in shame for a little bit, "I should've been there for my sisters… but instead I hid in my room after I lost my HDD. I hid from my country, my family… and now it's been taken away from me…"

"Well Blanny…" Neptune climbed up a steep hill and reached back down to lift her to companions back up. "… there's no use in treading the past! Just keep your head up and don't look down, you aren't going anywhere if you're going down, unless you plan on going down. Then at that point, that a different problem…"

"Neptune… I know I've already asked you this… but your optimism confuses me… how the hell can you still smile and crack jokes in such an ill and unforgiving world?"

Neptune stopped in her tracks and turned around grinning. "Reality sucks, I'll admit it. But I'm a CPU, its my job to protect and nurture the people of Planeptune. If I gave up and cried every time something bad happened, well I wouldn't have even started moving to begin with. I'd still be in Lowee, starving on the streets as bickered and complained about the hand I was given. I don't give a damn about my circumstances, there will _always_ be trouble in the sky, looming in the distance, creeping from the horizon. Crying about evil doesn't push it away, Blanc, it just gives it more reason to exist."

"This sounds more like coping instead of bravery."

"Call it what you will, just know that it won't pull me down."

"Hey, don't mean to bother the philosophical debate ya'll two are having, but what's up with these tracks?"

"Woah, what the?" Neptune knelt down, scrutinizing and checking wood of the tracks.

In front of the group were clearly railroad tracks, but there didn't seem to be any indication as to which country owned them.

"Blanc? You know about these?"

"No, can't say I do… I don't remember commissioning any railroad project this far out from Lowee…"

"Wait a second…!" Neptune immediately remembered the news report she had heard earlier, Lastation capturing Leanbox's citizens and putting them on trains. "Falcom, Blanc! We have to destroy these tracks! Now!"

"Wait what? Why?"

"Lastation is capturing Leanbox's citizens and shipping them off back to their country!"

"That's absurd! That breaks god knows how many conventions we've established!"

"This is Lastation we're talking about! You think they care!?"

"Well… I-"

Falcom had already dug her sword into the ground, preparing to uplift the tracks from their position.

"Wait!" Blanc stopped both Neptune and Falcom from continuing further. "If there really are citizens on those trains, then destroying the tracks would put the railroads of course and endanger their lives more than they already were. We need a different way of stopping them!"

Neptune turned around and realized that the nearby trees were rather tall and arched over the train tracks. "Hey girls… you guys good jumping from long heights and rolling?"

"Why…?"

 _~A few hours later~_

"Wake up girls! This is it!" Neptune perched up and crouched on top of the branches. A nearby locomotive was roaring in the distance, the screams and cries of people could be heard from miles away.

"My goodness, they weren't lying… they really were carrying people on those tracks!" Blanc was mortified by the thought of kids and children being crammed into train cars and sent to an unknown country where they would most likely be killed.

"We've gotta save these people! If we won't… who will?" Falcom readied her shotgun, she knew that fighting atop a moving train would require range, the least she could get with a shotgun.

"3!" Falcom pumped her weapon and readied to jump.

"2!" Blanc spun her revolver and prepared to fall.

"1!" Neptune brandished her new magnum as well as her katana. Excalibur would be too slow and risky to rely on. With the train moving ever closer, Neptune took her opportunity and jumped.

*Crash*

*Crash*

*Crash*

"Shit! Neptune!" Falcom and Blanc had landed on the very last cart while Neptune landed on the 4th to last among the 20 carts of Leanbox prisoners.

"Hey! Is someone up there!? One guard went up to check on the roof of the train cars, only find a magnum shoved in his face.

"Good evening buttercup!" With the pull off a trigger, Neptune started another fight with Lastation. "Falcom! Blanc! Release each car's track and keep moving!"

"Don't need to tell us what to do!" As the red head jumped from track to track, blasting any Lastation soldier that tried to climb aboard, Blanc cut off the coupling's that connected each train car together.

"Hey you there! This Lastation prop-"

Falcom busted the kneecap of one Lastation soldier who had climbed up top.

"You Planeptune bast-"

Falcom finished him off as she scattered his brains across the top of the railcar.

Two Lastation special forces guards, armed with blades, jumped up top the train cars in front of Neptune.

"Hey, who invited the Ninja Gaiden knock offs?" Neptune, unsheathed her katana and magnum, "This should be fun…"

"All right… we unlatched 12 of the carts… Just a bit more Blanc!" Falcom down Lastation soldier after soldier "You know… this shotgun aint half bad!" Suddenly, a bullet went through Falcom's leg, causing her to drop onto the cart. Before the guard could shoot her again, she flipped over and loaded a slug shot, decimating the soldier's entire head. "Son of a bitch!"

"Falcom!" Blanc ran up to the adventurer, her wound wasn't fatal, but it definitely stunted her ability to fight. "Wait… Neptune! Can you hear that?" Blanc looked back to see a Lastation Mech flying in from the distance firing at the three girls on top. The thundering sounds of the mecha's machine guns hitting the container and nearby fields had terrified the citizens inside, causing them to scream and panic. "Neptune! If we stay on the tracks…. We'd just risk more lives!" the brunette CPU walked to the edge of her train car, "We can't fight that thing!"

Neptune, who was busy fighting the Lastation swordsmen, struggled as she found herself on the defensive. The two soldiers struck her rapidly as she blocked the attacks, her guard weakening from each swipe. "Bit busy here Blanc! A little help wouldn't hurt!"

"Dammit!" Blanc fired at one of the swordsmen who swiftly cut away the revolver round.

"Jackpot!" Neptune took the opening and cut the swordsman on her right in half. "All _righty_ just you and me pal!"

The swordsman grabbed the blade of his fallen comrade. Dual wielding both blades, he charged at Neptune with wide slashes, his attacks covering almost the entire cart.

"C'mon!" Neptune pushed back against the swordsman. Her katana clashed against the soldier's two blades, sparks fell onto the top of the cart, simmering away the red paint on it.

*Bang*

A bullet hole opened up where the swordsman's heart was. When he collapsed, Blanc, who was acting as a crutch for Falcom to stand with her leg wound, was standing a couple carts behind him with smoke flowing from the end of her revolver.

"Blanc! Kill stealing is _so_ lame!"

"Pay attention you dunce! That mech is getting closer!"

The green machine (lol that rhymed) flew closer to the three girls and exposed is missile silos.

"Aw crap… that's _a lot_ of missiles… Neptune! What do we do?"

"Get behind me!" The two girls went behind Neptune as she pulled out Excalibur. "All right Ex… don't fail me now!"

When the machine unloaded its thousands of missiles at Neptune, the impact of the explosives launched her into the air.

"Neptune!" Blanc grew horrified as the CPU was brutally thrown into the air.

"I'm not done, not yet!" Neptune clutched Excalibur evermore tightly with her bloody hand. Its green crystal shined brightly once more, like a star in the dead of night. "Full release: Overdrive!" Just like how Neptune had deflected Iris Heart's force right back at her, Neptune swung her blade at the machine and unleashed a devastating shockwave, completely disintegrating the mech.

"Geez… I think I need to…" The amount of force Excalibur pushed back at Neptune had tired her out, and she passed out in midair.

Luckily Blanc had been there to catch her as she fell. "Neptune… thank you…" Blanc hugged the CPU tightly. Her hands shaking and her heart pounding intensely. Falcom blushed as she saw the couple embracing each other.

 _~An hour later~_

Falcom, Blanc, and Neptune forced the rest of the Lastation guards to retreat and release the prisoners from Leanbox. The people inside the cars ran out to find their friends and family who had also been captured and locked into other carts.

"Well, that solves that I guess… Nep… what do we do with all these people?" Falcom, who was tying a bandage around her wound, leaned against one of the vacant train cars. "They can't just go back to Leanbox… that place must be a hellhole right now…"

"You're right, and obviously we can't send them to Lowee, who knows what the fake me could be planning. Planeptune it is then, you alright with that Neptune?"

"Nah, I'll just leave these innocent people we worked out buts off to save just starve in the middle of nowhere… of course I'm fine with them staying in Planeptune! But then… We still need to get to Lowee, and the longer we delay getting there, the more time that imposter Blanc has. I'm going to be honest with you girls… I'm conflicted."

"I can help the people come back to Planeptune!" Falcom pushed herself off the ground and used her shotgun as a crutch. "With this injury, I don't think I can help much fighting a CPU…"

"You sure you can handle it Falcom?"

"Yeah, you girls can go head on to Lowee, after I patch myself up, I'm going to head toward Leanbox help the people there."

"Falcom… thanks. I owe you one."

"Nah, don't sweat it Neptune, you're the one who kept me safe in Lowee for the time. It's the least I can do to repay you."

Falcom went on top of the train tracks and called on to the rest of the citizens. "Everyone! Its going to be safe in Planeptune! Follow me! I can lead you there safely!"

The Leanboxian citizens nodded and agreed without question, and after a while, they headed off back.

"Well Blanc… looks like its just you and me~"

"Don't even think about it you dunce."

The two girls headed off toward the cold east, opposite of Falcom. A fierce battle would await them there. A dark time dawned over the Lowee.

 _~Lastation: ?, IF and Cave~_

"What the… where the…" IF found herself in a completely white room, next to her was another bed across the room with Cave sleeping soundly. "H-hey! Cave!" IF walked up to the sleeping maid and shook her slightly. "Cave! Cave! Wake up!"

"Dear me… I must have- what the!? Where are we?"

"RISE AND SHINE YA LITTLE SHITS!" Vio's screams had echoed through the intercom and pierced the ears of the two girls inside. "Do you know why I brought you idiots here?"

"What…" Cave lifted herself off the bed, she patted herself around and realized that her gunshot wounds had been completely healed. "Vio! What do you plan on doing with us!?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do any of the creepy rapey bullshit you see in hentai doujins. I just want to ask you girls to do a simple job. Here… these should help you…" The wall behind the two girls had flipped around, revealing a vast armory with rifles, explosives, armor, blades, and a new trench coat for IF.

"Why the sudden generosity?"

"Let's just say… I have a mess you two need to clean."

"We're not some janitors for you…"

"Oh don't worry, I don't expect either of you idiots to survive…. So I might as well get some use out of you… enter the elevator I just opened up. I explain the rest there. I'm detonating this room in 1 minute so you better hurry with you choice of weapons." A timer of 1 minute appeared right below the tow girls as they scrambled through the wall of weapons, getting all that they could before dashing to the elevator and avoiding the room which was consumed by flames.

"Alright Vio, why the hell did you bring us here instead of just killing us? Hmm?"

"Simple, throughout my years as a scientist, I'll grudgingly admit, I've had a myriad of failures. These failures are not something I can simply nod away; these failures have left scars on my career and pride. And now… I would like for you two to help clean up these… failures."

When the elevator doors opened, IF and Cave were greeted to a massive and dark room filled to the brim with abominations. People with mutations, extra limbs in places they shouldn't be, malformed humans, zombies, half animal half human hybrids, the lot of them.

"Good luck girls! And try not to die so easily! Its not often I get janitors that are able to fight!"

Cave and IF nodded to each other before bulling the slides on their guns.

IF strapped a plethora of pistols around her waist and hung an assault rifle over and around her. "All right, I don't like working for that bitch Vio, but it doesn't look like we have much of a choice. You ready, Cave?"

"Whenever you are." Cave responded calmly.

Furious and armed to the teeth, the two girls ran into the room filled with monstrosities guns a-blazing.

 **To Be Continued**.


	12. Chapter 12: Judgement Nighs

_Story So Far:_

 _Recovering from her humiliating defeat and the destruction of her country, Vert organizes a makeshift army with the people of Leanbox's lower class as Noire orders Lastation troops to capture and murder Leanbox citizens._

 _Meanwhile, Neptune and friends intercept a locomotive that was transporting Leanbox citizens. Falcom splits off from the group to help guide the citizens back to Planeptune as Neptune and Blanc head off to Lowee to fight an imposter Blanc._

 _Now:_

 _Lid stands at trial before Noire. Her brash decision to attack on Leanbox had cost the CPU greatly. Noire sits firmly and reverently as she proclaims Lid's sentence._

Chapter 12:

"Oh Lid… what am I to do with you? You hired mercenaries with government funds without _my_ permission. Then you attacked Leanbox's basilicom without _my_ permission, then you attack the CPU of Leanbox, without _MY_ permission! Where does such insubordination stem from? Hmm? Talk to me Lid, I'm getting bored here ratting you out."

Lid was chained to the floor with Lastation security pointing guns at her "Lady Noire… I'm sorry. My actions were out of line and-"

"I do not care for your cries and apologies! All I want is an explanation. Why."

"Because… because Leanbox is an accursed country. Its people, its leaders… corrupted, all of them. It disgusts me. I know you were all caught up in your little neutrality or nonaggression B.S but-"

"You dare speak ill of my actions-"

"Yes! Leanbox's existence stands against everything Lastation values! Why we would ever ally with such travesties of human creation eludes me!"

"Tch, you ignorant, defiant, hot-headed, Neanderthal! Your gall knows no ends does it? You're not making this easy on me Lid, you were my loyal ally for years! Why the sudden change of heart! Why the sudden brash and ignorant decisions!?"

Lid had looked down in shame, she had no words to say, only contempt.

"You know why I allied with Leanbox? Because getting Vert's CPU memory would've been a lot easier and a lot less messy than what we are doing now. Where's Vert Lid? Hm? TELL ME LID? WHERE THE FUCK IS VERT!? Because I haven't seen her for the past three days! And you clearly knew what you were doing so well! So well, that if I didn't show up when I did, Vert's spear would've been shoved right up your fucking ass! Is that what you wanted Lid? Did you want to break my heart as I would've had to bury your body? Did you want to upset me!? Answer me Lid!"

"I did what I did because I thought it would be the best action for Lastation as a country and Gamindustri as a continent! I did what I had to do!"

"Had to do? Stop trying to victimize yourself Lid. You were hungry for power and glory. Plain and simple! If you had a lick of patience, I would've been able to deceive Vert through time and steal her CPU memory when her guard was down. But now that's out of the fucking picture and you blew it!"

Lid looked down again, she had no response again.

"So… for your punishment… I hereby declare you exiled from Lastation!"

The words pierced through Lid's heart, stronger than any bullet or blade could.

"On one condition… if you wish to return home, I want you to bring me Lady Vert, alive!"

"Alive? Noire, that's impossible I-"

"You now have free reign to do whatever the hell you want Lid. Since you love ignoring me so much and since you are no longer a contestant within Lastation's parameters, you have no obligation to follow Lastation morals and ethics. By any means necessary, you must capture Vert if you wish to return home. Now! You have 1 hour to reclaim anything you need in country before I order every Lastation solider in country to fire at you on sight."

"Yes… Lady Noire…"

 _~Somewhere between Planeptune and Lastation, Plutia~_

It was an odd sensation for the long gone CPU, who had, for a while, believed she was dead. The cloth beneath her felt soft, was she in heaven? No, there was no way a monster like her would ever step foot near heaven. But she couldn't have been in hell, the place seemed too calm. She also felt and immeasurable weight on her chest, was this her guilt? Her realization of the monster she will always be?

When opened her eyes, she was greeted to a very odd sight. A sight she thought she'd never see. "Umm… who are you?" A small girl was sitting atop of Plutia's chest. The girl was wearing a jacket of black and yellow, not too dissimilar to that of a bumblebee, and her blonde hair shined softly under the morning light.

"My name's Peashy! Wakey Wakey! C'mon!" The girl shook Plutia's head, completely removing her slumbery haze. "Hey! Rei! She's awake now!"

A blue haired woman in a business suit entered the room, seeing what was happening, she ran up to the girl and pulled her away from Plutia. "Hey! Peashy! Don't do that to someone who had just woken up! That's absolutely inconsiderate, go to your room!"

Peashy didn't say anything in response except give an oddly adorable pouting face and left quietly.

"Sorry about that… Peashy can be quite a handful. Anyways, you alright?"

"How long was I out?"

"I don't know, we just found you knocked out in some random forest. The nearby trees were destroyed and and massive cratered formed where you were. What the hell were you doing before we found you?"

Plutia, remembering her loss against Neptune and how Planeptune's CPU had launched her far away from the country, clutched her head in agony as painful memories flooded back into her mind.

"H-hey, are you okay?" Rei stepped closer to Plutia to help her, but Plutia waved her hand urging her to stay away.

"Who are you? How the hell did you find me? Where am I now?"

"Well, that first question, I could ask you the same. I'm Rei Ryghts, CEO of the Console Patron Unit – Defamation League. We came across your unconscious body as my crew and I left Leanbox. "You're currently in an unmarked territory on Gamindustri's map. Its for the safety of our organization of course. We wouldn't want CPU Noire or her extremist followers tracking us down, now would we?"

"Right… and who's the girl?"

"Peashy? She's an orphan, mother and father was killed not too long ago, and since I was the one who supplied them weapons, I took it upon myself to adopt the girl. Poor thing couldn't survive on her own. Like I said, she's a bit of a handful, but she's still a sweet girl."

"I'm sorry to hear that… what do you guys do around here anyway?"

"We're a multi-purpose organization. We support anti-CPU protest, supply weapons to those who wish to buy them-"

"Do you sell weapons to the CPUs as well?" Plutia smugly asked.

"*Sigh* yeah… but's it's a necessary evil we must do in order to keep this place running. Also we make anti-CPU propaganda and toss it around the four main countries. It gets us a few followers but nothing spectacular really."

"Well, you guys seem like an honest, self-sustaining group. I'm Plutia, you mind if I join in?"

"Woah, just like that?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go really."

"Really huh? No friends? Family? Work? Nothing?"

"You know the CPU named Iris Heart?"

Rei shuddered as she heard that name, a name she despised all too greatly. "Yeah… what about her?"

"Let's just say… she's the reason I have no home."

"Your life was destroyed by a CPU huh? I know the feeling all too well. Same with the rest of the people that live here. Well, I guess that means you'll get along greatly here. Welcome aboard Plutia." Rei put her hand out for Plutia.

"It's a pleasure…" Plutia reciprocated and shook Rei's hand softly.

 _~Leanbox streets, Kei and Vio~_

"Hey… what are we still doing here? I'm sure most of the people are either dead, taken to Lastation, or escaped to the slums. Nothing much here to find really." Kei lit up a cigarette as she looked around the empty remains of Leanbox. "This is just sick…" She thought to herself. "Why would Noire do this? What is she planning to do with these people?"

"Heads up." Vio pulled out her handgun, looking around she saw a Leanboxian woman running away "Well Kei, speak of the devil" Without hesitating, Vio fired a round straight through the woman's leg, but before she could fire another round, she ran out of ammo. "Dammit! Kei, finish her off for me. Alright?"

"Uh… um…"

"Well!?"

"Alright boss!" Kei, not wishing to anger her boss any further, unloaded her magazine and placed in a new one. When she reached the woman, who was clutching her leg wound, Kei pointed her handgun right at the woman's stomach. "Close your eyes…" Kei mouthed to the woman. Without any further delay, Kei pulled the trigger, the sound ringing through the empty streets of Lastation.

"I'm going to head back to the Basilicom for a resupply. You clean up the rest of these streets, all right!?"

"Got it boss!"

Vio then opened a portal back to Lastation, completely disappearing before the Oracle.

"*Sigh*… All right… let me patch you up." Kei kneeled down to the woman and observed the spot where she shot her, a rough bruise appeared right above the belly button, but it was nothing fatal. "Yeesh, it's supposed to be a rubber bullet, but it must have stung like a bitch. Anyways, I'll patch up your leg." The Oracle pulled out a wrap of bandages and tightly sealed the bullet hole on the woman's leg.

"W-why are you helping me? You're from Lastation! You're supposed to kill me!"

"Yup, you're right. I'm supposed to kill you, but I didn't." Kei picked up the rubber bullet and handed it to the woman. "Take the sewers and don't take any of the routes near the slums, all our men are patrolling in that area. You best bet is to stay in this area for a while. In a couple days, we're going to launch an assault toward the slums, I'd take that opportunity to run off to Planeptune or Lowee. You hear me?"

"Y-yes… thank you. Are you sure about this? Keeping me alive? Even though I'm supposed to be your enemy?"

"I don't like killing civilians. I don't know what the hell Noire is doing, why she is creating such chaos. But I can't stop her. There's no way in hell I could. I'm just some normal woman, nothing special. I'd be eviscerated in seconds against a fight with Noire, but… this is the least I can do. Now run! You hear me! Run!"

The woman stood up quickly and limped away with haste.

Kei watched the woman open up a nearby a nearby sewer entrance and ease inside.

"Wait!"

The woman stopped and looked back at Kei.

"Can I at least get your name?"

"Oh… it's RED. Thank you for helping me, Kei…"

"Yeah… no problem…"

The woman closed the sewer hatch, her footsteps down the ladder rang for a bit before diminishing away.

Kei, looking up at the grey and desolate sky, clutched her Lastation medal and closed her eyes. "Why… what's the point of all this fighting? Why… Noire… why!?"

 _~CPU-Defamation League, Auditorium, Plutia and Rei~_

Both Rei and Kei were sitting at a dining table. Rei was delighting herself in fillet mingon, while Plutia just drank coffee.

The auditorium was filled with hundreds of people, aging from young teenagers to frail elders. Smoking seemed to be the norm in the auditorium more than it already was in other countries. Old men spoke about their hatred towards CPUs and the young spoke about rebelling against their CPU "Overlords".

"Cig?" Rei opened a small box of cigarettes and handed one to Plutia.

"No thanks, I don't smoke."

"Your loss…" But before Rei could light her own smoke, she was called onto the stage to announce the CPU-DL's next assignment. "Dammit! I just wanted to relax for a bit more… whatever. Sit tight Plutia, this speech is going to be a doozy."

Rei reached the podium and brought out her folder which detailed the list of objectives they had for the month.

"First, I would like to mention the elephant in the room. With the destruction of Leanbox's basilicom, as much as I would like to celebrate the destruction of one more CPU tyrant, I must give warning, that Lastation has now become a bigger threat more than ever. CPU Noire, the leader of Lastation has reached levels of chaos that can only be equated to other CPUs like Rei Ryghts – who only shares my name by _coincidence!_ \- and Uzume Tennouboshi. With this in mind, as much as we atheist would love to celebrate over the destruction of Leanbox, let us not forget the bigger threat that looms in the horizon… Lastation! And with that out of the way, I would like to bring up our new protesting project! Lowee! We have long since had members march in protest in Planeptune, Leanbox, and sometimes even in Lastation. But for the first time, we have acquired new members in Lowee who are ready to march against their tyrannical CPUs!"

The crowd in the auditorium applauded the businesswoman. She continued on about projects and new improvements for the CPU-DL in Lowee, meanwhile, Plutia was bored out of her mind. She drank the last of her coffee before yawning and growing sleepy-eyed.

"Psst! Plutia!" Peashy had walked up Plutia and begun to tug on her shoulder.

"Err… Peashy? What do you want?"

"I'm bored! I want to play with you! Rei is too busy with her boring speech and all the other kids are doing their homework!"

"Shouldn't you be doing your homework too?"

"Nah, I fed it to my pet dog."

Plutia smirked at the girl's carefree personality. "Fine… I'll humor you. It'll get me away from all the smokers in here anyway"

When the two left the auditorium and onto an open plain, just outside the camp, Peashy immediately sprang up onto Plutia's back.

"Hey! Peashy! What are you doing!?"

"Piggy back! Give me a piggy back ride!"

"Piggy back huh? Well, hang in tight Peashy!" Arching her legs for a start, Plutia sprinted across the field with Peashy on her back. The young toddler held her hands wide in the air as the wind brushed past her face and flowed back her hair.

"Faster Plutie! Faster!"

Plutia, who was starting to get tired from carrying a small - yet surprisingly heavy – girl, put all her energy into running uphill and jumping, the two gaining quite the substantial height.

"Yay! Higher Plutie! Jump higher!"

"Please Peashy, I can only do so much…"

Peashy eased off Plutia's back. The purple haired woman fell onto the grassy floor out of exhaustion, meanwhile Peashy ran around, still hyper and full of energy.

"C'mon Plutie! Get up! I want another piggy back!"

"I can't… my back's going to collapse…"

"Aww… can't you do _anything_ else then…"

"Well… I could… hey, do you guys have a sewing machine?"

"Yeah… in the schoolhouse. Not a lot of people here know how to sew, so it's not used a lot. Why?"

Plutia grinned back at Peashy and carried the small blondie princess style.

* * *

"Well, here's the sewing machine. Do you know how to sew, Plutie?"

"Yeah… I think might just make something for you."

"For me!? Really!? Thank you Plutie!"

Plutia grabbed a chair and set up the required materials and cloth. "You can go ahead and relax Peashy, this will take a little bit."

Peashy walked around the sewing room for a bit, before lying down on a nearby couch and dozing off into a quiet slumber.

* * *

"Peashy! Psst! Peashy. Wake up~ I'm done~"

"Huh… Plutie?" Peashy rubbed her eyes and stood back up. "Woah… what's that Plutie?"

"Here~ I made this for you" Plutia handed the small girl a doll, it was caricature of Rei except the doll was chibi sized.

"Haha! This is super-duper cute Plutie!" Peashy ran around the room with her new doll before running back to Plutia and hugging her tightly.

"Uh… Peashy, what are you doing?"

"I'm hugging you, silly! You do that when you're really happy with someone! Haven't you ever been hugged before?"

"Uhm… not in a while." Plutia looked away in remorse before sitting back in her chair.

"Hey, Plutie. Who taught you how sew? Can she teach me how to sew also?"

"Well… it was a friend of mine long ago. Yuri, that was her name."

"Can Yuri come over sometime Plutie!?"

"No… not exactly. I don't really know how to put it for you. She's gone."

"Gone? What is that supposed to mean?"

"That means… sometimes people will exit your life and never return. It's just a thing that happens in life. And sometimes we just have to accept that. Its rough, but people can't be with us forever…"

"Umm Plutie… are you going to exit my life?"

"W-what? Uh, no Plutie, I just got here. I mean, maybe after many many years when you're all grown up and-"

"No!"

"Woah, Peashy…"

"I don't want any more people disappearing! Rei told me that Mommy and Daddy went off to fight some real mean lady in Planeptune… they haven't returned, and some people have been saying that they disappeared! I don't want any more of my friends disappearing!"

"Wait!" Plutia's heart stopped when she heard what Peashy had said. "Peashy… what did you say about your parents?"

"Rei said they went to Planeptune and never returned! I don't get how that happens… they said someone named err… Iris Heart was it? I don't know what that is… they said that was the reason they disappeared."

"Oh my god…" Plutia felt her stomach churn as she watched the girl before her turn her head in confusion. "Peashy I…"

"Plutie, are you okay? Are you going to disappear?"

"No I… I need to use the bathroom!"

"Oh… uh… its down the hall to your right. Are you ok-"

Plutia dashed to the restroom locked the door tightly behind her. "Oh god… what have I done…. That was me wasn't it… I… I killed…" Plutia ran up to the sink and violently vomited after realizing what she had done.

"Plutie! Are you okay!? Hey! Open up! We're both girls so its fine! Just open up the door!"

"Peashy… I need some alone time right now… just please… give me a moment."

"Umm okay… but you better not disappear! Okay!? Plutie!?"

But Plutia didn't respond, she just looked in the mirror and saw a monster.

 **To Be Continued**

 **A.N:**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, I've crammed out 4 chapters over spring break to get the most out of it. AP exams are starting up Monday and I didn't want to leave you guys empty for a couple weeks, so I made these 4 chapters ahead of time.**

 **I hope you all will continue reading Nepu May Cry until the end. And thank you to everyone who has been supporting the fic up to now.**

 **With that, I must sign out.**

 **\- 90k9**


	13. Chapter 13: I'm by your side, always

Ch.13 **: I'm by your side, always.**

 _Story so far:_

 _Lid has been exiled from Lastation, with her only hope of redemption being the capture of Leanbox's CPU._

 _Vert who has now taken shelter in the very slums she once abandoned, located in the northmost part of her country._

 _Plutia awakens after her crushing defeat against Neptune, taken into the care of the CPU Defamation League, an organization hellbent of freeing Gamindustri from totalitarian CPU Rule._

 _Now:_

 _IF and Cave have been holding their own against their inevitable demise against the horde of Lastation chimera they've been trapped with for the last 48 hours. As their ammunition starts to dry, and their feet start to tumble, they can sense death's embrace enveloping their body._

* * *

 _~Lastation: Unknown laboratory, IF and Cave~_

"I'm not done yet!" IF smashed open the head of a half human- half snail monstrosity with the butt of her empty handgun.

"Just keep standing IF! Help will arrive soon! I'm sure of it!" Cave had also run dry on ammo and used her guns as battering weapons. The bones and pus of the scientific abominations splattered everywhere.

"Maybe… I just…" IF fell once again and a beast pounced on top of her and ripped into her arm which IF was using to shield herself.

"Dammit!" Cave pummeled the beast that assaulted IF, giving her room to breathe, albeit bleeding at the same time.

"Cave… I don't think I'm going to make it…" The wound that was ripped into IF was devastating and would surely infect her. "You have to take me out Cave… or else I might just end up like them…"

"That won't be necessary." Before the two girls stood the very same woman that saved IF from Vio's forces, and saved Vert's HDD core from Noire. Red red eyes like flares into the hopeless abyss.

"You!?" IF immediately recognized the girl that had once saved her before.

"You must be the woman that saved Lady Vert!" Cave found herself humbled if not also slightly confused.

The girl placed her hand on IF's arm, healing it completely. "Compa needs you… I can't help her without you…"

"Compa! Is she going to be okay!? How the hell are we going to get out of here!?"

The girl looked at her right arm, which looked like it was about to disperse and break any second. "Get behind me…"

The two other girls lined up behind their savior, as she pointed her right arm at the horde of monstrosities.

"Ex! MULTI BLASTER!" The girl sacrificed her right arm and created a large beam of light, decimating and disintegrating everything that was in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Vio screamed through the intercom. "We're trying to save you, and this is how you repay us!? **UNI!?** "

"Your existence is repulsive and a crime against the human race. I hold no sympathy nor have any obligations toward you." Uni looked down at her right arm which was completely missing but she looked forward and saw that she had created a hole in the facility that lead to the open world, allowing for IF and Cave to escape. "Go now girls… I can't fight any further… but before you go, IF, take this…" Uni summoned her HDD core, and ripped apart of it off, damaging her intensively.

IF stood in shock as she saw the CPU candidate rip off a piece of herself and hand it to her. "Use this to cure Compa, there's only so much I can do… you need to warn Leanbox, warn Vert, Noire is planning an all-out attack on the remnants. You need to unite everyone that's left… Planeptune, Leanbox, Lowee… you all must unite against Lastation. NOW GO!"

IF and Cave nodded without question and escaped, leaving Vio betrayed and despaired.

"Uni you ungrateful son of a bitch!"

* * *

 _~CPU-DL HQ, Plutia & Peashy~_

"Hey Plutie! What happened!?" Peashy tugged and pulled on Plutia's sleeve, but the rather drowsy girl ignored her, continuing her sewing without stopping. "Hey! Plutie! Why aren't you listening to me! What did I do wrong!?"

Before she could get an answer, Rei entered the room with a stern look, Peashy immediately nodded and left without a word, knowing there was work to do. "Sorry about that, she can quite the handful at times, you know?" Rei had two cups of coffee in her hands and offered one to Plutia.

As she looked down as her reflection from the cup, Plutia couldn't help but feel disgusted, she absolutely _reviled_ herself. Had she been stronger, mentally and physically, she could've stopped Iris Heart's rampage, but she couldn't, and she let lives, innocent lives that she was supposed to protect, suffer from the psychopathic CPUs hands. "Iris Heart… my un-ending curse, Yuri would never forgive me… nobody could…" she thought to herself.

"What's the problem Iris Heart? Can't live with who you are? I know the feeling…" Plutia darted upward, shock and anxiety filled her to the brim, how could Rei know that she was Iris Heart!? They had just met! Plutia could barely hold the cup, and her trembling hands gave way, dropping the cup and letting it break onto the marble tiles below them.

"How… how do you know…"

"I've always known who you are Plutia, I knew you were Iris Heart the moment I saw you unconscious after your fight with Neptune."

"You knew the horrible things I committed, you know the monster I truly am, yet you've brought me to your home, and trusted me among your comrades. The line between altruism and idiocy is rather intriguing, and I can't which side you're on… why did you spare me?"

"I brought you here because I'd be a hypocrite if I killed you. You know who I am right? Rei Ryghts… the CPU of Chaos…"

"I thought as much, but how are you still alive? I thought Uzume had killed you?"

"I could only have wished for such a pleasant fate. But death would only be pleasure at this point."

"Does anyone else here know the truth about you?"

"No, they simply brush off my namesake as mere coincidence, besides, the Rei Ryghts incident was centuries ago. No CPU has ever lived this long. I've only been able to because of this…" Rei pulled out an HDD core from her chest, but unlike most cores, the symbol was shattered. fragmented, and it's parts scattered. "This is what's been keeping me alive for the past hundreds of years, and even then, my time is still limited. After I was defeated and Tari fell to ruin, I wandered the remnants of Gamindustri, I watched my kingdom collapse and the rise of the very nations you see today. It wasn't until the the beginning of the console wars where my power started to fade away, and my body started to crumble.

"An HDD core!? How?"

"It's not mine, it's… CPU Uranus's"

"WHAT!?"

Plutia knocked over the table and grabbed her by the collar. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE YURI'S CORE!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Lacking patience and mercy, Plutia rammed her against the wall, leaving a sizable crack in it.

People sitting outside the room turned towards the door, intrigued but confused by the shouting from within.

"Plutia, _she_ gave it to me herself… _Yuri_ gave me her HDD core before you killed her!"

The words ran through Plutia like a sharp knife, her hands started to tremble, and she let go of Rei, who slumped to the floor.

"I was broken, and battered on Planeptune's streets, she met me while she was on the run from Planeptune's council, a bullet wound had dug into her chest, while it wasn't fatal, it was clearly modified with negative share energy. That was _your_ bullet, wasn't it?"

"I didn't meant to do it dammit! I was manipulated! Controlled!" Plutia smashed her fist next to Rei's face, creating a hole in the wall next to her. "Wait… are you saying I didn't kill her immediately?"

"No, after you shot her, she fell from the basilicom's balcony, but that didn't kill her, she fell into the moat that surrounds the building and ended up in the sewage system. She barely made it out alive and spent her days on the run. That's when she met me, we were both dying, rotting in the streets of the nation we spent our lives trying to protect. Somehow, even near death, she knew who I was, and in her dying breath, gave me what was left of her HDD core. She gave me life, despite who I was, and what I had done. She only had one request, to find you, and protect you."

Rei held Plutia in her arms and brought her up to her chest. She nestled her face in Plutia's Iris hair as she held onto Plutia's hand tightly.

"Rei, thank you…"

"As cliché as it sounds, we both have something in common. We both owe our lives to CPU Uranus, that's for certain. All we can do now is wish Gamindustri for a better future. That's why I founded the CPU-DL, to ensure us CPUs wouldn't be taken advantage of, and that Gamindustri would be able to govern itself instead of being governed by puppets."

Plutia wiped away her tears and stood up. "Rei… I don't know where to start… but… it's not here. I know that's for certain."

"Well… what do you mean?"

"I don't know really, I just know the holing up here isn't going to help me, I need to redeem myself…"

"Well, you can always go to Leanbox, I've heard there's a resistance building up there. The remnants of the country making their last stand against Noire. Maybe you could help them?"

"Actually… you're right. I'm also an accomplice of Noire, she forced me to stay for hours on end in my HDD form, ensuring I would never come back. Now Planeptune's in ruin thanks to me. I guess the least I can do is to go over to Leanbox and make sure Noire doesn't have an entire other country under her belt."

Rei Ryghts looked at the massive dent in the wall that Plutia had made, "Well, you can certainly handle yourself combat-wise. I'll hitch you a ride"

 _~An hour later~_

"This supply truck can take you to the border, but won't go any further, after that you're on your own… good luck Plutia…"

Plutia nodded, and without any more chatter, she boarded the van and it started its engines.

Peashy, who was watching from a distance, grew angered. "Plutie's leaving? So soon? That's unfair, I still want to play with her!"

As Plutia got into the passenger's seat, Peashy snuck into the back, and the two set off for Leanbox.

* * *

 _~Lowee's border, Neptune and Blanc~_

"How you holdin up peachy?" Neptune started to stretch as they walked their way up the mountains that led to the stormy and cold mountains of Lowee.

"Don't call me that! How many stupid nicknames are you going to keep making up for me!? Blanc pouted and crossed her arms as she walked, she decided to wrap her coat around her without putting her sleeves on, the sight had confused Neptune, but unlike herself Blanc was accustomed to Lowee's freezing temperatures.

"Hey, calm down, I'm just trying to ease us up. Neither of us have our HDD's and we're going up against someone stronger than both of us combined. We're gonna need to give 200% of everything we've got on this, alright? Not just for us, but for the twins, and for Lowee. C'mon Blanc, talk to me…"

"Sorry, I just… I can't help but feel responsible for this mess. It's not an easy feeling you know." Blanc tucked in her hat and looked down. "Neptune, sometimes I regret becoming a CPU, you know… I kinda just wish I could… I could have just had a normal life. Settled down with someone instead of being wrapped in all this espionage and war."

"I wish the same too, but we have a responsibility. I know that's rich coming from me Blanc, but-"

The two CPUs noticed a rustling of footsteps in the distance. "Heads up, it's either wolves or Noire's army. Or both, considering the rancid experiments Vio does…"

In the bleak horizon, two girls emerged, one in a ripped grey dress, and another in a torn maid outfit, the two shuddered and froze.

"IF? Who's that with her?"

"I'm pretty sure that's Vert's maid, what the hell are those two doing here?"

When the two groups reunited, IF immediately collapsed into the brisk snow from exhaustion. Cave followed suit and the two girls were on their knees.

"Nep…tune… we need… Leanbox… now…" IF could barely stammer out her words, her throat was parched, and her eyes were reddened with bloodshot. Cave was none the wiser either. "Noire's planning an attack to wipe out the rest of Leanbox, and is likely trying to capture Lady Vert In the process…"

"Well Blanc, looks like you've got your work cut out for you…"

"The hell does that mean!? We're going to Lowee together! You can't fight the false White Heart on your own!"

"Maybe not, but it sounds like Leanbox is in much dire trouble"

"Well then you should go with them! This is my country! My siblings _I_ have a responsibility to save!"

"You're a natural leader Blanc! Let's say you go to Lowee by yourself, what then? You'll be attacked immediately, your imposter will likely execute you, and we'll have one less CPU against Noire!"

"And you're any different!?"

"I am, I can't lead people the same way you can. With you and Vert together, you can lead the people Leanbox together, I can't, that's just not me… even if I fall, I know you and Vert will be strong enough to carry on without me!"

Blanc looked at the two weary escapees "Well damn, you've got a point… Neptune!"

Blanc ran up to the purple-haired CPU and kissed her softly, embracing her cheek before pushing her down a hill towards the city of Lowee. "You better come back alive you idiot!"

Neptune waved away as she slid down the hill, into the wintery abyss of Lowee.

"All right you two! On me!"

* * *

 _~Leanbox remnants; the war room, Nepgear and Vert~_

"Well it's official Blanc has just announced her alliance with Lastation." Vert looked down solemnly at the war table. "I can't believe she'd actually side with that psychopath!"

"Oh come on Vert!" Nepgear slammed her fist on the table. "You don't think that was the real Blanc, did you!?"

"As opposed to… a fake Blanc?"

"Of course, I don't know Blanc personally, but to think she'd side with Noire is insane, it wouldn't surprise me if Noire had some cloning technology up her sleeve."

"That's quite the stretch of thought Nepgear, are you sure of this assumption?"

"She's goddamn right."

The two girls turned to the doorway to see a snow covered brunette carrying two other weary girls.

"B-Blanc! How did you get here!?"

Before she could respond, piles of Leanbox guards surrounded Blanc and held her at gunpoint, preventing her from reaching any closer to the CPU. "Lady Vert step back! She could be dangerous!"

"She's right Vert, Noire did create an imposter of me. Neptune and I were about to return until these two met up with us." Blanc dropped IF and Cave, wiping away some blood on her lips which she got from her brawling with Leanbox's soldiers.

"Cave! IF!" Vert ran toward the two drained women and held them tightly. "I thought I had lost you two!"

The guards that surrounded Blanc eased off away from when they saw their CPU crying with tease of joy, being reunited with her maid and new friend.

"Lady Vert, I thought the chances of us reuniting would be slim, but here we are, surviving Vio's experiments by the skin of our teeth, it's honestly a relief to see you again Lady Vert. I am at your service once again…"

Nepgear walked toward IF and handed her some whiskey. "You look like absolute shit, take this."

"Thanks Gear, just what I fucking needed…"

"Look, I'm sure you're all happy to reuniting and all that, but Noire is going to invade this area in two days. That gives us 48 hours to arm everyone and prepare for battle. That also gives Neptune 48 hours to take imposter me down and lead everyone in Lowee to battle." Blanc grabbed herself some red wine that was on the war table and poured herself a glass. "This area is going to become a bloody warzone, our enemy outnumbers us 2 to 1 so far, and not only do they have superior technology, but also a CPU with 2 HDD cores under her belt. God knows what she's planning with a third core but I'd we do not wait and find out… our best best is to set traps across the border of the slums, we're going to box the in and have our forces flank them-"

"This is nice and all but I'm leaving." Nepgear brushed her hair aside and strapped on her beam saber and rifle. "My sister is going to get her ass kicked in Lowee, I can sense it. I'm going after her."

"Nepgear, leaving at a time like this!?"

"Trust me, I don't work well with commanding battalions and soldiers, I'm a fighter, not a leader. I'm not going to be much use here; I'd rather you guys focus on what you do best. Best of luck to you…" Nepgear left the war room with haste and headed immediately toward the garage.

"Well, I can't exactly blame her" Blanc downed her wine glass and wiped it off on her sleeve. "Those two have a lot more in common than I'd have thought…"

"Chika! Get Cave and IF to the infirmary, Blanc what's the rest of the plan…"

"You better be ready for this Vert; I'm not going to hold back just because you're still injured. This fight is going to be painful for the both of us, I hope you know that.…"

 _~ Infirmary~_

IF was placed in bed, next to Compa who was still unconscious. She looked to her right to see Cave soundly asleep. IF pushed herself out of bed and stumbled onto Compa's bed, and held her hand tightly, "Compa… come back to me… please!" the desperate woman pulled out the shard Uni had gave her and placed it into Compa's hand. At first, nothing happened, and IF was struck with disappointment and pain, but soon after, the shard was absorbed into Compa, and the comatose woman's eyes opened wide.

"COMPA!" IF's scream startled Cave, who was still drowsy and weary.

"Heavens IF, what is that- Compa!?"

The nurse looked to her left, and saw IF's face, albeit more bruised and bloodied since the last time she saw it, but she could still recognize the very woman whom she had always admired.

"Iffy… is that you? How long was I asleep?"

But IF couldn't respond, she was overwhelmed with tears of joy, and she buried her head into Compa's neck, the nurse was slightly confused, but she was happy that IF was happy, and to her, that's all she really needed to hear.

* * *

 _~2 hours later; Hidden Lastation chamber: 3000 meters below sea level, Vio and Noire~_

Noire looked at her younger sister, who was being kept in stasis and held inside a large chamber of fluids. An entire mechanism designed to ensure Uni's survival.

Vio walked into the room in a fit of anger. "Lady Noire! That brat has betrayed Lastation and assisted in the escape of two text experiments! Not only has she set me back for months, but she virtually destroyed my own lab. She has most likely been using her share energy to create copies of herself across Gamindustri and has helped our enemies-"

"That's none of my concern" Noire had interrupted Vio coldly. "How is she holding up?"

"Noire! Are you daft!? This girl is a traitor! Why do you insist on keeping her alive?-"?

"That will be enough! Vio!"

The scientist stopped dead in her rant. She dared not provoke her CPU anymore.

"12 years ago… I could've prevented you from suffering like this…" Noire placed her hand in front of Uni's hand behind the glass. "I'm a terrible older sister… no doubt about that. But I am going to do _everything_ I can to ensure that you survive. Uni, I love you… if I have to stain my hands with the blood of every person in the damn continent…! So be it."

"Boss… BOSS!" Vio looked in horror at her tablet as she saw warning signs slapped everywhere across the screen. "Uni's body is starting to deteriorate! Unloading share supply! Noire!"

The CPU looked left, she found herself mortified as Uni's right arm started to break away and fragment into nothingness. "Uni!"

"Boss! You need going to have to convert our _entire_ share supply into negative share energy in order to counteract the share energy poison!"

"Dammit!" Noire placed her scythe on a small circular podium that had multiple tubes running through it. Share energy entered the podium, and then transformed into negative share energy as it passed through Noire's scythe and entered Uni's body. The candidate screamed in pain as the negative share energy entered her body, but after a while, her deteriorating stopped, and the share supply went completely dry. "Vio… did we really just use up all the shares we siphoned from Leanbox's citizens?"

"The one's we got from executing them after we manipulated their hope with Vert's speeches. Yeah, _all_ of it is gone."

"Then… how much time do we have left?"

Vio looked back at her tablet and and shook her head in disappointment. "A month… if even that. Boss, if you want to save Uni, we need that third CPU core. There's no other way."

"I see… is our Blanc decoy ready for combat?"

"Yes ma'am, there's been slight revolts in Lowee, but all in all, Lowee's forces are effectively ours."

"Sister, stay with me, will you? I've lost too many people already… I wonder what God Eater would have done now. Hell, she'd probably kill me for the monster I've become but… I still miss her. I get why you're helping our enemies. You think I'm a monster as well… you wouldn't be wrong. But I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you want to kill me. I _am_ going to save you, after that, well… let's just see…"

* * *

 **A.N: Yup, I guess I'm back for this. I still can't guarantee a consistent schedule but I'm just happy I got to continue this. I deleted the original Ch.13 as well as 14 and 15 as that's when I really think everything started to derail.**


	14. Chapter 14: Midnight Solitude

Chapter 14: Midnight Solitude, a respite for the weary.

Both Compa and IF sat atop the Balcony of the infirmary, staring up at the stars glistening down onto the run-down streets of Leanbox's slums. The couple was huddled together with a blanket on top of a mattress, staring directly up at the night sky. The two were outside as the infirmary was cramped with the sick and ill.

"I must've missed a lot while I was asleep, what happened?"

"Oh yeah, you've missed a lot, after you were umm… knocked out, Lastation bombarded Leanbox's capital and shoved the entire nation to the north, Vert and Chika have been preparing for Lastation's next attack in the coming weeks." IF shivered from the cold air, Compa took this as a sign the nuzzle her neck and hold her tighter. "Compa! You can't just do that without telling me!"

"Well Iffy, I'm also cold, besides, you looked like you needed the extra warmth." Compa brushed her head up IF's chest all the way to where their cheeks were touching, as embarrassing as it may have looked, the two felt warmer when they held each other tighter.

"Well, I don't exactly hate this, in fact, considering all the shit I've been through recently. This probably the closest I'm ever going to get to heaven, isn't it?"

"Any place with you is heaven Iffy. You've always been there for me. Back before all this started, you had driven me to work and offered me to lunch. To you it must have just seemed like some simple gesture of friendship. But it meant so much more to me."

"Did it? I mean, I failed to save you Compa… you were-"

"That doesn't matter anymore IF! I'm safe now, and even safer with you. Don't worry, I don't plan on opening up any fishy emails now, silly."

"That sounds comforting, but… I don't know… something inside me is urging me to do something. I just don't know what it is I-"

Without warning, Compa pressed her ear against IF's chest, and noticed her heartbeat pumping at an insane rate. "Well Iffy, you seem excited"

"O-Of course I would you dolt! We're pressed together like crazy!"

"Oh? Like this?" Compa put her hand down on IF's thigh and teased it upward up to IF's crotch. "Are you alright Iffy?"

IF couldn't respond, she was dumbstruck with pleasure and excitement. "Compa…" She muttered in ecstasy.

"Let's hope we survive this IF, so we can do this whenever we want." Compa kissed IF, their tongues swirling around each other in unison.

"I wish we could do this forever." The two wrapped themselves together tightly and undressed under their covers.

* * *

 _~Elsewhere~_

Plutia walked up and down the streets, seeing hundreds of citizens either sleeping or checking their weaponry, ensuring they wouldn't malfunction in the upcoming attack.

"I need to get to Blanc and Vert…" Plutia still had memory of information she gathered back when she used to work for Lastation. Details on Vio's experiments as well as weaknesses in their weaponry.

As she continue to wander around, she noticed a pair of small little footsteps following her, when she turned around, she saw no one, suspicious she checked the corners around her, discovering Peashy hiding inside some empty bin.

"Ah! Ya found me Plutie!" Peashy playfully smiled while Plutia felt herself immediately filled with dread.

"Peashy! What the hell are you doing here!?"

Peashy then began to detail how she snuck up onto the back of Plutia's ride and followed her all the way to Leanbox.

"Peashy! You're supposed to stay with Rei and the others! They're going to be worried sick for you!"

"But I wanted to play with you! Its unfair you leaving so soon!"

"Peashy, that's not important, Rei is going to panic and she's probably searching like crazy for you now."

"I don't care! I wanna play!"

"Well I'm not going to play with you! I have a job to do!"

"WHY!" The small girl screamed, alerting nearby bystanders.

"Goddamit!" Plutia whispered to herself. "Fine! Take my hand, we're going somewhere else."

The screaming immediately stopped, and Peashy briskly jumped around as she held onto Plutia's hand.

"So this is what Rei had to deal with…"


	15. Chapter 15: Midnight Solitude Part 2

Chapter 15: Midnight Solitude, playful jealousy.

In the town hall of Leanbox, Vert and Blanc sit together at a bar, swirling their drinks together after formulating their defense strategy against Lastation.

"You are a much wiser woman than I took you to be Blanc, you know… if we got married, we could combine Leanbox and Lowee and form an even stronger country *Belch*" Blanc flinched as Vert downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.

"Jesus Vert, you've had too much to drink. And no, I'd never marry you."

"Oh come on Blannnyyyyyyyyyy~ we could make world _peace_. In fact, why don't Noire, you and I, and Neptune just get into one filthy Polyamorous marriage and end this nonsense? Huh!?"

"Please stop, our governments would never agree to it, our people wouldn't get along, and we sure as hell wouldn't get along."

"Aww, but then your little sisters could be-"

"Don't even think about it Vert. Besides, would you really want to date me?"

"Eh… you're an alright person. But if we manage to pull of a successful marriage, trade between our countries would be easier to handle and there would be friendlier relationships between us, _and_ we'd have an upper advantage against Lastation and Planeptune…"

"Nonsense. Our marriage wouldn't last long, and the inevitable divorce would just create even greater tensions between us. Come on Vert, let's keep this professional."

"But mu _h world peace_ Blanny!"

"Wouldn't work. Stop asking, besides. I know you don't really want to marry me."

"Oh… how would you know that?"

"Because you're in love with your maid. What was her name… Cave? Was it?'

Vert spit out her drink in such a visceral manner than shocked even the stoic CPU next to her.

"I've seen the way you look at her, you view her as something more than a servant. You give her the looks of a lover, someone with desires, whether prurient or concupiscence, hell if I know"

"HEY, CaVe is a VerRY PRofessIoNAL WOMan and I wouuuld NEEVer objectify her as something as insUlthing as a Mere love interest. ALSo I WOulD pRobably end up dating some NoBle rich dude InStEaD"

"Somehow I doubt that. Wouldn't it be better if you dated a common woman instead? You'd establish your sense of independence as well as gain favor among the majority of your population instead of appealing to the one percent. You would be an overall happier woman and your country wouldn't be pseudo-controlled by some money-hungry businessman."

"… You've really though this through, haven't you?"

"I've simply added all the parts together to create the best solution possible for you. You don't need to thank me. Vert?"

But the blonde vixen was passed out on the counter, muttering to herself as she drifted off into a drunken slumber.

"How unprofessional." Blanc grabbed her coat and placed it on Vert's back."

"We'll make it through this war, I swear."


	16. Chapter 16: Resident Lowee

Chapter 16: Resident Lowee

 **A.N: Chapter 13,14, and 15 have been replaced and rewritten, please read them before continuing onto this chapter.**

* * *

 _~Lastation Basilicom, sun rise~_

Kei sat alone in her wide and empty office in the basilicom. The footage of Leanbox's remains flash on her computer screen, thoughts begin to run through her head.

"Is this war really worth fighting for? Why am I doing this? I thought I was fighting to unite Gamindustri, not destroy it…"

Confused and agitated, she exited to a nearby balcony and lights a cigarette she grabbed from her coat pocket. "Years ago… when I saw Noire rise from Lowee's ocean, I saw not only beauty, but peace. I believed she'd be able to turn this desolate continent into something greater. But here I am, filing more shitty paperwork so the military can commission more weapons to kill more people. And it's not like I really have a goddamn choice. "

"This whole country has forgotten its damn purpose. We're no longer vying for peace, we're warmongers, and the worst of them at that. We claim to be reaching for unification, but I've seen the cold look Lid gives to those she assassinates, I've seen the sadistic look Vio gives to those she tortures, and it's a goddamn shame. Those women were some of the strongest, and most valiant people I've ever met, now they're just husk of themselves, and to say I'm any different would be a lie…"

"Because you plan on defecting?"

Kei, shocked, turned around to see Noire who had caught her soliloquy. "Lady Noire! Forgive me I was just-"

"You were speaking your mind, that's fine."

Hearsay and defection are one of the most serious crimes of treason in Lastation, Kei, as timid as she was around Noire, felt immense guilt for even thinking about such ideas. "Lady Noire, please, this job has really stressed me recently and I just needed a way to vent."

"Don't lie to me Kei, I've dealt with such tomfoolery for far too long. Please, finish your thoughts." Noire rested her arm on the balcony as well and looked over the rest of her country, she could see as far as the outer wall of Lastation and some of the polluted fields past that.

"Lady Noire, I've felt that we've gone too far as a country, first, I thought we were fighting to rid Gamindustri of its greedy nature, to fight against those who oppress their people. But now, what we're doing is nothing short of genocide and needless conquest. What do we gain from destroying Leanbox!? What do we gain from infiltrating the governments of Planeptune and Lowee!?" Kei started to tremble from both fear and anger. The woman in front of her could slice her into pieces without so much as a flinch and nobody would dare question her action to do so. But Kei needed to speak her mind.

"Kei, first I must apologize to you, and the people of Lastation."

"What? What for?"

Noire then stood up straight and stared Kei straight in the eyes, her mere gaze enveloping a sense of dread. "Kei, the real reason I started this war against Gamindustri was to save my younger sister…"

"What!? Uni? She's still alive?"

"Surprisingly so… You would've thought Uzume could've killed her easily but in reality, she still had some fight left in her. Its admirable she's still had to will go on for this long. We've been keeping her stabilized underground, below this very Basilicom."

"We? Who else is working with you?"

"Vio, her knowledge on share and negative share energy was absolutely vital to save Uni, but I fear she has other motives instead."

"That doesn't exactly surprise me… is this why you've been stealing CPU memories from the others?"

"Of course, after arduous days and nights, Vio discovered a way that we could reverse the share infection that Uzume gave her so many years ago, by collecting three other pure CPU memories."

"So… was all our fighting and conquering useless? All the lives lost on both sides, was this what it was all for?"

"Oh don't get ahead of yourself Kei, I still plan on conquering all of Gamindustri, don't get me wrong. When Uni finally awakes from her long slumber, I want her to wake up to a wholesome and unified Gamindustri, one free from greed and consumerism, one I hope for her to rule with peace and prosperity. But if push comes to shove, and I'm backed into a corner, I would be willing to lose everything I have and everything I've gained if it meant saving Uni's life." A small tear fell from Noire's eye as she gazed onto the edge of dawn in the distance.

"You would even sacrifice your country?"

"Wouldn't you? You wouldn't be willing to rip and tear your entire world in half if it meant saving someone who truly means something to you? To save the only person you've ever been able to call family?"

Kei had no response, while she was partially hurt by Noire's speech, which heavily implied that she thought Noire saw her only as a mere servant, which wouldn't be entirely wrong. "I see Lady Noire… if I may ask, what am I to you?"

Noire, turning back toward the sunrise, smiled and turned back to Kei. "You're the only woman left I can trust."

Kei had blushed. She didn't realize how pleasant it felt to be seen as such a person from a CPU. "I know Lid had gotten herself exiled, but what about Vio, is she not the one who has kept Uni alive for this long?"

"Oh I can't discredit what she's done, but I fear she has ulterior motives. Her "test subject" she unleashed onto the clinic near Planeptune's border was merely a prototype, there are far more atrocious and gut-wrenching beasts in the horizon, there's already one in Lowee."

"Imposter Blanc? I thought she was just a clone of Lowee's CPU?"

"No, it's far worse than that, I've seen Vio's tests, I've seen the horrible abominations she creates as prototypes, their contorted limbs, amalgamations of eyes and mouths, teeth spewing from eyes and eyes spewing from teeth. Tongues emerging from skin and veins pouring from fingernails. She tells me not to worry about them, but such creations are an offense to nature, they keep even me up some nights." Noire held her arms together and brushed up her arms up to her shoulders, Kei was surprised to see such a vulnerable side to her CPU, something she never dreamed of seeing in her entire lifetime.

"W-why!? Why does she create such things!?"

"Its simple, she sees no value in human life, or any life for that matter. The world and its people are like a playground and its toys to her, I don't know how this happened to her, whether it was formed during childbirth, seeped in during her childhood, or an event during her womanhood, nonetheless, she has taken quite a knack for experimenting on living creatures and turning them inside-out, unfortunately for her, I've found a way to turn things outside-in. Noire took out a syringe with some sort of green fluid. "I'm no scientist and I likely will never be one, but after digging through Vio's notes, I've figured a way to reverse _one_ of the mutation processes. This vial is specifically designed to take down imposter Blanc and _only_ imposter Blanc, do not waste it on any other beast."

"Wait… Lady Noire, what are you asking of me?" Kei knees started to tremble, but she couldn't figure out the reason, she felt as though Noire was going to send her on a mission to decide the fate of Gamindustri.

"Ms. Jinguji, I hereby order you to undertake one last mission as Lastation's oracle, you're to apply this very **HDD-Antidote** and eliminate the imposter Blanc that resides in Lowee. Afterwards, you will be relieved of your duties. You'll be a free woman, one who decides their own destiny. I hope you'll make good of use of it, if you survive that is."

Kei looked solemnly down at the vial in Noire's hand. "Relieved of my duties? I-I see…" Kei, despite her bitterness towards country she has now, she couldn't help but think of all the memories she had made, the comrades she knew, the people she would be leaving. "Lady Noire, are you sure I'm the only one capable of this!?"

"Do you doubt my decision Ms. Jinguji?"

"No- it's just that- I'm no better than Vio and Lid! I've stood complicit during all our war crimes and espionage. The blood on their hands may as well be on mine!"

"You're right Kei. That blood is on your hands, but I believe you're the only one who is willing to wash them and carve your own path. Lid's patriotism blinds her, Vio's sadism corrupts her. But you? You're different. You're conscious, you realize the horror of what we've done." Noire took out her handgun and flipped in on her hand, offering it to Kei.

"Your handgun? Lady Noire?"

"The imposter Blanc was originally designed as a way for us to interfere with Lowee's politics, but Vio had taken it a step further and inserted one of her own viruses, Imposter Blanc is a walking biohazard, as of now, she's likely infected everyone in their basilicom, all of them being horrific atrocities, just like the one's I've seen. But, Vio is still somewhat of a loyal subject, she's designed the mutation to not infect any of the three of you. CPUs and their candidates are unaffected in general. Which now makes _you_ the _only_ one who can clean up Vio's mess, also I I'm afraid that I'll have to stay here and manage our military before our eventual attack on Leanbox."

"U-understood Lady Noire! Consider the target eliminated already!"

"Simply injecting the vial into Blanc won't kill her, so don't take any stupid risk. Your next objective is to destroy the basilicom, we can't risk the infection spreading onto other parts of Lowee. My handgun has been modified to transfer standard handgun ammunition into my own personal type of ammunition, it will be able to kill most of the infected, but Imposter Blanc is unkillable by most conventional firearms, and utilizing missile strikes onto Lowee doesn't exactly strike me as the wisest idea. Any questions?"

"The ammunition type ma'am, is that the one that destroys Semi-trucks? The .98 Dragon Caliber?"

"No, it's the one that destroys bullets that destroy Semi-trucks, the .99 Ouroboros Caliber. The gun has been modified as to not rip your arm off, but don't expect it to hit as hard. I can't exactly give you a time frame, but I'd say… 36 hours, 36 hours until the basilicom is entirely overrun and infested with beast. If you don't stop it then, "

"Understood ma'am! Is that all?"

Noire smiled and wrapped her arms around Kei, softly brushing her hair before letting go and placing her hands on Kei's shoulders. "This will likely be the last time we see each other Kei. Best of luck to you. May The true goddess of Gamindustri watch over you- oh and one more thing, take _her_."

Noire opened a tome which she pulled from her coat and on top of it, Histoire appeared. "She's too dangerous to be kept here, if Vio continues to experiment with her, then I'm afraid Gamindustri as we know it will only fall further into its own destruction."

"Where should I bring her?" Kei closed the tome and carefully placed it into her satchel.

"That's for you to decide. Now excuse me, I have to start burning your files." Noire walked back into the confines of the basilicom, but Kei stayed, and stared at the sunrise for a bit longer. It would be the last time she would be seeing it as an oracle of Lastation.

* * *

 _~Leanbox, High noon.~_

Lid, isolated and cold, wandered Leanbox's abandoned streets. Corpses and broken buildings replacing what was once a thriving and bustling economy. The place felt desolate and cold, she didn't feel victory or triumph over the people of Leanbox. Just bitterness. But such thoughts left the mind of the exiled patriot just as quickly as got to her. "I can't give up, not now of all times. I need to get Lady Noire her third CPU core, but how! The slums are infested with armed soldiers. If I don't hurry in time, then the assault on Lastation will occur before I get my chance to redeem myself! Wait!? What is this!?"

As the soldier dragged herself through the barren remains of Leanbox, her HDD memory detector had started to activate wildly as a truck was driving by, likely from the slums, "but to where?" she thought to herself. Cleverly, she disabled one of the tires from a distance with a throwing knife, causing one of the passengers inside to swear as a massive pop had made them jump. Lid took this opportunity to use her stealth camo and sneak onto the back of it, she took out her detector and saw that the signal was even stronger. "Whoever is on this truck must be a CPU? But it can't be Vert, she wouldn't do something this cocky during a time of war."

 _~Plutia and Peashy~_

"Hey… Plutie? Do you think Rei is going to be mad at me?"

"Definitely, you snuck off without her permission."

"Why do I need some stupid permission?"

"Because you're a child and you aren't smart enough to make your own decisions."

"Nu-uh I'm the smartest girl in the whole class!"

"Sure as hell aren't the most mature of them."

"I am the most maturist of mature kids in my class Plutie, just you see!"

 _"It's a good thing I left all my notes about Lastation at the town hall, now that I think about it, maybe this is for the better."_ Plutia fidgeted as she looked out the snowy window.

The truck driver, who has exited to fix the broken tire, returned. "Looks like I must've run over something sharp, I wouldn't worry about it now, it's a good thing we have a spare. Anyways, it won't be any more time until we get to the camp, you sure you've done all your business in Leanbox?"

"Yeah, I am, I have to return _this_ naughty little runt back to her guardian. I wish I could've stayed for the fight…"

"Alright, heading back to the CPU-DL now!"

 _~ Lid ~_

"That voice, I know it all too well! Plutia…" What is she doing here? We lost contact after her disappearance in Planeptune, it seems she's alive and well, though her loyalties seem to lie elsewhere. Just what are you doing Plutia? And who is that girl with you?"

"Hey Plutie, do you hear someone talking?" The short girl asked as she tugged on Plutia's jacket.

"I'm sure it's nothing Peashy."

* * *

 _~CPU-DL, Plutia and Rei~_

"OH MY GOODNESS, PEASHY! YOU RASCAL!" Rei stormed to the truck and pulled the girl violently at the ruck and in front of everyone who had arrived to greet her. The crowd, some with contempt, others with relief, watched as Rei spewed a mouthful of a scolding into Peashy's ear.

But the reunion didn't last long, as Lid leapt from truck and swung down to where Rei was holding Peashy. Rei managed to pull her arm back in time, but Lid had grabbed Peashy and held her hostage, preventing the rest of the crowd from firing at her.

"You! I give you troops, and this is how you repay me!?"

"Time's changing, and I'm getting desperate. The child's coming with me, non-negotiable."

"LID!" Plutia pulled out a pipe from the back of the truck and lodged It into Lid's arm, breaking Peashy free. "YOU FUCKER!" Plutia, in an uncontrollable and enraged state, grabbed Lid by the face and slammed her in the ground, pushing her first against the soldier's head, crushing It slowly. Suddenly, she felt her strength fade away as some form of a sharp needle had stuck into her neck, and she passed out.

"Vio?" The weary and beaten Lid muttered out, before she lost consciousness as well. Peashy was also shot with a tranquilizer and passed out.

Vio appeared in front of the crowd with her usual lab coat and suitcase. The members of the CPU-DL immediately opened fire on her, which was futile against her telekinetic field. With the snap of her fingers, two portals appeared behind her and 10 Lastation soldiers emerged from them, opening fire and massacring the crowd. "You know, if could find a way to teleport bombs through this damn thing without them blowing up before they exit, that'd be great, also being able to transport more than ten soldiers every 24 would be great, but energy restraints are a bitch. Hey! Soldier! Get me a medical team now, prep it for two people, one female adult and one child."

"STOP THIS!" Rei grabbed Vio by her coat only for her to be smashed in the face by the butt of one of the soldier's rifles.

"Scratch that, make it two adult females and one child."

Three soldiers picked the girls up and carried them back into the portals. With a devious and sinister grin, Vio snapped her fingers one more time.

The people of the camp were confused at first, the shooting had abruptly stopped.

Then, one soldier fell, groaning and crying in pain, others following suit.

With a wave of shock and terror, black limbs emerged from the backs of the soldiers, their heads burst open with hundreds of other tinier faces, similar to that of a baby, but with the teeth of feral beasts. Their backs arched and legs burst from their shoulders, what were once soldiers, then started to crawl on all fours and began to pounce on the scattered rebels, ripping them apart limb by limb, piece by piece. None were spared, men, woman, and child fell victim. The green fields and planters were stained and covered with gore and vermillion. The cacophony of screams died out, and what remained were insatiable beast who then started to eat one another out of desperation, as well as one sole scientist, standing alone as the beast started to eat one another, until the last one's ate itself apart.

"The V-Virus: Convenient, self-cleaning, and efficient. I must say, I am _really_ damn proud of myself- wait a second!" Vio entered one of the buildings and saw a small child hiding under the mangled corpses of their parents. "Tch, guess I missed one, I'll need to work on their tracking abilities some more. But… damn! I don't know if I'll have enough time to work on it before the invasion! Ah well, I'll just have to see. Vio pulled out her handgun and fired one shot in the child's head as he crawled away.

* * *

 _~Lowee Basilicom~_

Kei snuck into the basilicom, past the biohazard security that was placed outside to prevent anyone from entering. As was seen during her stunt at the Leanbox fiscal report party, Kei had a knack for climbing up buildings for a good long while. She managed to get up to the 10th floor, two floors below the CPUs chambers. "The basilicom must be a hellhole right now, well, it's now or never, actually…" Kei pulled out the tome and woke up Histoire.

The small oracle muttered herself awake, her eyes weary and her hair a mess. "Kei? Is that you? Where are we!?"

Kei quickly explained the situation to her, Histoire gasped in horror as Kei described the experiments that Noire told her.

"Oh my goodness, I-I can't believe it. How could Noire let things go this badly?! I don't see how this helps her conquer the other nations of Gamindustri. How could _you_ let things go this badly?!"

Kei contemplated on whether or not she should tell her the truth behind Noire and the sacrifices she has been willing to make to save Uni. "I know… I'm just as responsible for not doing anything about it. But that stops now, after this mission, I'm essentially no longer an affiliate with Lastation, by all means I am essentially a ghost until I find a nation to work for."

"Well, how can I trust that you truly plan on helping Gamindustri?" Histoire crossed her arms and flew directly eye to with Kei.

"Well for starters, I going to get rid of Vio's lovely experiment here. Then I'm going to destroy the entire basilicom using the underground basement. Down there is a machine that's used to inaugurate incoming CPUs, it can be wired to destroy the basilicom if I rewire it and malfunction its power supply."

"You plan on destroying an entire basilicom!? Are you insane!?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, we can't risk anyone picking up remains and continuing Vio's work. This. Ends. Now."

"I hope your judgement is the right one then. Can I assist you in any way?"

"I need a map of the floor I'm on all the way up to where the CPU is, can you help me with that?"

"If you find a room with any connection to the basilicom's database, I could tap in and show you any blueprints or schematics they have of the building."

"Right…" Kei looked out of the room she was in, blood stained the hallways, beasts and abominations crawled along the walls and ceiling.

"Kei! There!" Histoire whispered to Kei, pointing to a room which had a blurred window stained with blood, on the inside was a fight light which could possibly be a computer screen.

Holding her breath, and silently saying her prayers, Kei made a dash for the door, and blasted away beasts that attempted to pounce and grab her. When Kei reached the door, she elbow bashed it open, and then grabbed a nearby shelf and placed it in front of the door, buying her time. "Alright Histoire, looks like the computer is-"

"Hey, you're here to save us!" two small girls appeared from the corner of the room. One in a blue dress shirt and a pencil skirt, another in a red track suit.

"Um Histoire, you know them?"

"Of course! They're the CPU candidates of Lowee, oh thank goodness are safe, Rom and Ram!"

"We've been trapped here for hours… the monsters have occasionally been clawing at the doorway, trying to break in. It's a miracle that you've been able to come into contact with us, we haven't heard anything from the police or security. I think all communication with the outside has been cut off, but why?"

"Yeah, is this how they treat us after all we've done for them? This is absolutely disgraceful, where is our security when you need them?" Yelled Ram as she scampered around the floor.

Kei looked out the window of the door to see one monster crawling on the ceiling, the remains of a security uniform tattered on its back. "Kids, I don't think Lowee security is arriving for a while. Histoire?"

"I've downloaded everything I can off their network. Their online security is really poor, we should report this to Blanc."

"When the time calls for it. Alright, Histoire, where are we bringing the twins? I can't bring them up to the top with Imposter Blanc…"

"If what the database says is correct, the basement is only accessible by Lowee's Oracle and CPU, luckily the candidate should suffice."

Kei then walked close to Histoire, whispering to her so the twins wouldn't be able to hear her. "Hey, can you bring the twins down to the basement? Have them blow up the place."

"I mean… there's an emergency exit down, and I'm sure Rom at least has the intelligence to figure what she's doing. But… what about you Ms. Jinguji?"

"I have to finish what Vio's created. There's a high chance in hell I won't be able to make it out alive, but, its worth it, if it means stopping what Vio has created." Kei looked into her satchel and counted five magazines plus one already in her handgun. "That's 78 shots, and…"

"Ms. Jinguji, I'm afraid the elevator is horribly crowded!" Histoire pointed out a small in the window, toward the nearest elevator which was standing at the end of one long corridor covered head to toe in monsters ravaging each other and the remains or corpses along the way.

"Hey, Rom, Ram, don't you girls have like some CPU powers you can use?"

"Well if we could, we would've been out of this dump already" Ram pouted as she crossed her arms in annoyance. "But Blanc always takes away our weapons whenever we get naughty and start firing them in the basilicom."

"Ram… you're the only one that constantly fires them off, you just force me to bring mine as well…" Rom angrily responded with, shaking Ram's arm.

Kei buried her head into her palm out of frustration. "Christ, is there _anything_ here that can help us?"

"Actually, look here Ms. Jinguji!" Histoire pried open a cabinet filled to the brim with bags of flour.

"Okay… what the hell is _that_ doing here?"

"Oh yeah, I think the guy who worked here was named uh… Markio or something like that? Anyway, he always made his own pasta at work and usually had a trucker with spaghetti sauce come by. Yeah, he was kinda weird, oh but now that I think about it, I think he might've had his day off today. Lucky him. I hear he works a separate job as a truck driver in Leanbox but, why the hell would he do that?

"Right. Right… wait, this might work. Histoire, can you tap into the power supply connected to this room? If I overload the computer, I might be able to create enough electric friction to ignite these bags of flour and create an explosion large enough to wipe out everything in there."

"I mean… that might work but how are we going to get the flour in there?"

Kei looked at the hallway for a good moment before turning to Histoire and deviously smiling. "Hmm, alright, this might work."

 _~A few moments later~_

Histoire screamed in abyssal fear as she flew up and down the corridor while dragging and dropping multiple bags of flour that were almost quadruple her size. "Ms. Jinguji please help me!"

"Alright I think that's enough!"

In no time, Histoire quickly flew back into the room, exhausted and weary. "Those things are horrifying! Never make me do something like that again!"

"That's fine, Histoire, I need you to cram as much voltage as you can into this computer."

"Alright, are you 100 percent sure about this?"

"That this will work? No. Is it our best shot? Absolutely. Ram!"

The candidate knocked over the metal cabinet and hunkered down with her sister behind it, Histoire amped up the computer and hid behind it as well.

"All right, I would say here goes nothing but really it's a 12 pound computer that's going to burn my hands like a bitch." As Kei picked up the highly electrified computer, her hands started to fry up from the thermal electricity. With a desperate scream and throw, Kei shattered the glass with the computer and jumped behind the knocked over cabinet, for a second, nothing happened. Kei immediately started to fear the worst, but before she could pull her head up, a massive flash burst through the hallway followed by an eruption of flame that engulfed the hallway.

The two candidates and the two oracles looked up to see a hallway filled to the bring with the charred remains of Vio's creations.

"Alright!" Kei screamed with excitement, scaring the two girls and Histoire. "Oh right, umm. Right. Yeah, let's get going…" Kei timidly knocked over the shelf that blocked the door and escorted everyone to the elevator.

Inside, Kei checked her magazines again. "78 shots, let's hope that's enough to kill the fake son of a bitch, Histoire, send me up to the top floor first, then go with the kids to start the self-destruct procedure."

"Kei, I'm not going to lie to you. You're just a normal human, you're not a CPU or a genetically altered human, realistically speaking, you're the most vulnerable one in this room."

"Maybe you're right. But I owe it to Noire for giving me this chance to do something greater than file paperwork to kill civilians. If I make it out, I'll bring you back to Planeptune, if I die, that's that. Destroy the basilicom and don't look back."

The elevator doors opened, to the top of the Basilicom, a large room with a glass ceiling presented itself to the agent. Kei turned and signaled Histoire to head down to the basement. Histoire nodded and begrudgingly sent the elevator to go down.

Kei then looked forward. At the opposite end of the room stood "Blanc" in her usual attire. She turned around and gave Kei a Blanc look, before her eyes rolled back and her mouth dropped open.

"Kei! I didn't think you would have made it this far!" Said a similar voice that came out from the motionless and still body.

"Vio…" Kei gritted her teeth at the mere sound of the mad scientist voice. "Vio… we could've had an empire! We could've united Gamindustri! But now YOU blew it! And for what!? These rancid and horrible experiments!? You disgust me Vio!"

"I don't care what you think of me. For Lastation's entire history, you've been nothing more than a pathetic lapdog for Noire, a worthless servant unwilling to make a name for herself. _I_ on the other hand am taking my own path, one that differs from Noire's-"

"What? Anarchy? Meaningless violence?"

"Oh you would love that wouldn't you? No. The truth is Kei, I've been working for ASIC this entire time."

"The Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime!?"

"Of course, once the people see that the CPUs are unable to protect them from _my_ lovely creations, they will seek other leaders, and other gods. The land of CPUs will be extinguished, and a new age will rise! Not of goddesses, but of the human race!"

"That's fucking bullshit, you and I know it! You don't give a damn about ushering a new era! All you care about is your pathetic experiments and sadistic creations! This "New Era" nonsense is nothing more than a petty excuse for you to continue destroying Gamindustri!" Kei then pulled out the HDD-Antidote.

"What the hell?! Never mind, even if you use the antidote, you lack the physical strength to topple the beast yourself!"

The imposter Blanc's body started to twitch, it sprawled on all fours and and arched its back forward until its spine emerged from its back along with its head, the spinal cord and head rose high above, almost touching the glass ceiling. Arms, scattered with eyes, grew from the open wound and lifted the atrocity higher into the air. From the open wound on the back, the screams and cries of Vio's previous test subjects could be heard. The sight of this churned Kei's stomach to no end, but she had a job to finish. She pulled the slide on her handgun and readied her knife.

 _~Lastation Basilicom~_

Noire finished burning the last of Kei's records, as she left the office, Vio and an entire platoon of soldiers appeared and held her at gun point. "You don't really think that's going to stop me, right?"

"Of course not, but this will." Vio flicked back her hair and snapped her fingers, summoning a portal above her that dropped Uni's unconscious body into her hands.

"VIO YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Noire pulled out her rapier, but before she could even come close to Vio, the soldiers that surrounded her grew mutated arms from their backs and held her in place.

"Ah-ah-ah. You need to recognize how to address your superiors _Noire_!"

"Fuck you!" Noire immediately changed into Black Heart, but before she could swipe down at her, Vio snapped her fingers once more, and from another portal, emerged a small child who charged at Black Heart and socked her in the face, knocking her down onto the floor.

"Very good Peashy, I see you're growing accustomed to your new role as Lastation's new CPU!" Vio dropped Uni onto the floor and raised her hand to give the small girl a high-five, the girl proceeded to wave her hand directly in the air and slam in down against Vio's hand.

"Yikes, we'll have to work on that later it seems. Anyways, I figured its time you've had a little taste of your own medicine, Noire." Vio tapped her wristwatch, above it circled a negative sharicite. "I don't think you'll be needing _this_ anymore…" Vio dug her hand into Black Heart's chest and pulled out the very same scythe that stole the HDD memories of Neptune and Blanc.

"You wouldn't! Traitor!"

"Traitor I may be. But a fool, I'm afraid that's what you've become. Anyways…" Vio picked up the scythe and swung it down onto Noire, stealing her fractured HDD memory.

Black Heart gasped in pain as she faded away, and Noire had lost all her power and will to fight. The defeated CPU looked up at Vio, who then had picked up Uni's unconscious body by her hair.

"Aww… giving up so soon? No matter. I think it's about time I've had some more _fun_ with your little sister, she'll certainly make an interesting test subject, hell, I might just make her the very core of my latest creation! It's a shame you won't be able to see it Noire, but business should never be mixed with friends." Vio looked down at the unconscious CPU candidate and bit her own lips seductively and looked back at Noire seething in rage as she was held down by Peashy.

"Don't you dare!" Noire yelled with immense voracity as she scratched the ground, digging her fingernails ever deeper into the marble floor.

But Vio didn't care and started to horrifically make-out with Uni's unconscious body, slathering her tongue up and down her naked chest. Noire could only only watch in horror as she saw her sister assault by someone, she once called a friend.

"Uni… I'm so sorry… how could I have let this happen." Tears started to well around the CPUs eyes until she felt a heavy boot against the back of her head, and then, everything faded to black.

* * *

 **To be continued in CH.17: CPUs Never Cry.**


	17. Chapter 17: CPUs Never Cry

Chapter 17: CPUs Never Cry

 _~Lowee, 7 years ago~_

Nepgear had just graduated, she walked away from the stage as all her classmates conversed about their plans for the future, some planned on going to colleges, others planned on working in their family's business, others didn't know what they were going to do. But Nepgear wasn't interested in such topics, she was more concerned about herself. No later than a week ago, her arm had been brutally injured in an engineering accident, as she rode to the hospital, her arm had magically healed. The EMT's inside were both amazed and confused, and she was the talk of the city for a while.

"What the hell am I?" Nepgear asked herself, looking down at the arm that was injured. She thought the incident was just some weird accident or a a miracle, but inside, she wanted something more. She didn't want to go to college or work at some sketchy business, she wanted to make a name for herself doing something she really wanted to do.

"You're my sister." Nepgear looked up to see a girl who looked oddly similar to herself. But unlike her one D-Pad clip, she had two on her head. Her clothing was rather unusual for Lowee citizens. It seemed more like something someone would wear from the country of Planeptune, at least from what little Nepgear had heard about the place.

"Um… who are you?"

"My name is Neptune, I was the one paying for your tuition at this academy." She couldn't have been lying. Nepgear had always wondered who had been the one supporting her all these years. The dean had always insisted that it was an anonymous relative.

"Oh! Thank you so much! I mean-"

"Yeah I get it. It's not a problem. But I have a deal I want to make with you. That accident you had a week ago? That "miracle" happened because you're a CPU, a CPU candidate to be accurate, but a CPU nonetheless."

"Me? A CPU candidate? Like the twins in Lowee here?"

"That's right."

This was it. Her ticket to a far more interesting life. Nepgear since then has always wished for a life that meant more than the very boring and meaningless life she had at the academy, she wanted to do something more than lie around meaninglessly with meaningless work and meaningless jobs. She yearned for something greater. But she held back, she still had some suspicions.

"So what took you this long to contact me?"

"Planeptune's government was corrupt, as usual, government leaders killing government leaders. CPUs being assassinated, the usual schtick. But now house had been cleaned, and I've been called up to take charge. But in case things go awry, the country needs backup. I've seen your report cards, All A's every year from kindergarten to senior year. Very impressive."

"Aw geez you don't need to-"

"I've also seen your history of suspensions and disciplinary violations."

"Oh… right…"

Neptune pulled out a long sheet of paper that dropped down to floor. "Now… where do we start? Fistfights-"

"Hey, that bitch made fun of my D-Pad clip"

"Violent arguments with staff and students-"

"It's not my fault all of them are wrong!"

"Consistent breaking of dress code standards…"

"My miniskirt was only _one_ inch too short!"

"Inappropriate use of lab equipment-"

"I get it! Why are you reading this off to me?"

"Because it's exactly what I need. Planeptune's corrupt, I need someone who's smart and hates authority, you fit the bill, and you being a CPU Candidate only helps my cause."

"What, you concerned another corrupt government's gonna be formed?"

"The house is being cleared, but ASIC still plans to put in their own puppets, they've invited me back to become CPU, but I know it's a ploy to take out what's left of Uzume's family."

"Uzume's family!?"

"That's right we're related to the one and only most screwed CPU in all of Gamindustri. I carried you here when you were just a baby, we ran away during her first assassination attempt."

"This… that's a lot to take in."

"It is, but its not everyday someone gets the chance to be a candidate, are you in?" Neptune reached out her hand, Nepgear hesitated for a moment, and looked around, everyone going to inevitably unsuccessful careers and miserable lives. She saw this as her silver bullet from such lives.

"I'm in"

And so on, for the next 5 years, Planeptune's government was under strict scrutiny from the sisters. Those under suspicion of corruption were investigated and those convicted were promptly taken out by Nepgear. In 5 years, the country of Planeptune was, for the most part, "Clean".

And as the years went by, the sisters developed a friendly, but still competitive rivalry with each other, a rivalry that tilted when Neptune awakened her HDD form. 2 years more passed, and Neptune received an anonymous request.

 _~Planeptune Basilicom~_

"Would you look at that sis, scouts have reported signs of share energy spiking up in the celestial remains."

"Sis, you can't get up there without your flight unit. It's going to take me weeks to replace the chip in the new one"

"I'll have someone drop me off there, how's that sound?"

"Does the rest of the basilicom know about this?"

"Nope, don't trust them with it."

"Alright, I would say stay safe, but I guess that lil old HDD of yours will take good care of you now, won't it?"

"Are you jealous sis?"

"Nope, just disappointed I couldn't get mine first."

"Don't worry sis, you'll get your day."

 _~Lowee, present day~_

Nepgear walked down the shivering streets of Lowee, up ahead she could see the basilicom blocked off by hundreds of biohazard agents and ensuring no one would try on sneak into the basilicom. Nepgear, being the rebel she is, broke through the blockade without hesitation. As the men in hazmat suits tried to stop, she shoved them off, throwing them to the ground. The sniper's stationed nearby tried to dispatch her but their shots were deflected back through their scopes with ease.

The candidate broke down the front doors of the basilicom, and in front of her were hordes of Vio's monsters tearing apart and feasting on the remains of corpses and the like. "Yikes, someone need an exterminator?" Nepgear smugly joked as she pulled out her beam saber and struck the ground, attracting all the attention of the monsters in the entrance.

The first one, an amalgamation of limbs and heads formed together, jumped at Nepgear, who promptly cut the beast in half, hair and pus spilled out of the womb. Nepgear pulled out her grenade launcher and implanted a m203 inside of it, causing it to explode, painting the walls and floor with gore. "C'mon, you guys are gonna have to try a little harder than that.!"

Another one jumped at Nepgear, only for her to swiftly dash forward and cut it in half. Now, every monster in sight was jumping at her. "Jeez, can't a lady get a break?"

* * *

 _~Lowee, abandoned mall~_

Neptune took a detour from her route to the basilicom into the mall where she had first met Blanc all those years ago. Once a thriving and booming environment has long since been abandoned and run-down with fauna and other forms of plant-life encasing the building. To her right she saw the retro videogame store she once worked at, the owner long since passed away and the games there have been moved out. All that was left were vacant racks and a counter.

"Geez, I remember when Vert showed me that decapitated head here, that was a really messed up first impression of her. Cave was there too, I wonder what she's up to now. Hopefully everyone in Lowee is prepared."

Neptune left and saw the pudding stand where she would always visit during her lunch break, it's been so long she can't even remember the name of the lady that ran the stand.

"You never know the good ol' times are in until they've left huh? Well, that's not why I'm here." Neptune went to the fountain and broke open the bottom, revealing a secret passageway into the basilicom. "I remember when Blanc first built this so she could visit me while I was still working here."

Neptune thought back to the kiss Blanc gave her before she was dropped back into Lowee. Could their relationship be re-ignited? "No. the past is over, this all I can do…"

* * *

 _~Lowee Basilicom~_

Nepgear reached the final floor covered in blood and gore, she wiped off her face to see her hand covered entirely in red. "Yeesh, this can't be sanitary, wait a second, Kei?"

The Lastation Oracle was on the ground, injured, as a monster loomed atop the rooftop, clinging to the glass ceiling.

"Nepgear… the CPU candidate of Planeptune…" The beats said in a distorted voice, which confused Nepgear at first since imposter Blanc's lips were not moving, but the sounds were cover from the

"Candidate? Me? Fuck off, I could kick my sister's ass any day even in her HDD form."

"Boast all you want candidate, it's all the same, soon this nation, as well as the nations of Leanbox and Planeptune will crumble under the might of Lastation!"

Kei pushed herself off the ground and tossed the HDD-Antidote to Nepgear, who caught it with finesse while dodging a devastating swipe from the Imposter Blanc. "Heyyy what's this? Does somebody need their shots? It's okay, I never liked visits to the doctor myself either."

"Silence you insufferable brat! I'm going to rip you and half and hang you from this building with your own fucking intestines." Imposter Blanc spewed acid all over the room, melting parts of the floor, Kei ran toward the corner of the room and took cover behind a table. "Run all you want Oracle, once I've finished this pesky candidate, I'll tear you apart as well!"

The monster raised its arm and swung downward, Nepgear guarding herself with her blade to brace the impact. Suddenly, Neptune broke from atop the glass ceiling and swooped down, cutting the monster's arm off. The beasts cried in pain as its member was cut off and blood sprayed all over the floor.

"Hey sis! Didya miss me?" Neptune stood smugly in front of her sister, knowing how much she hated her patronizing help.

"You? Of all people? " Nepgear was annoyed by her sister's interference, she wanted to kill this beast with her own skill, not with the help of her sister.

"Oh c'mon Nep Jr. that's just cruel, besides, you're gonna need a lot more help to deal with this one." Neptune pulled out her handgun, pointing it directly at Imposter Blanc's head.

"Oh yeah? Let's make a deal…" Nepgear noticed that fake Blanc's distorted body regrew its limbs. "Whoever cuts off more arms has to do _all_ the paperwork for the basilicom for the next three months. How does that sound?" Nepgear smirked and pointed her own handgun at the beast.

"You know what… I'll take you up on that bet…" Both sisters readied their blades and guns and charged at Imposter Blanc at the end of the room.

* * *

 _~Lastation Torture Chamber~_

"Look at that Noire… isn't it magnificent?" Noire, beaten, bruised, and nauseated, had little strength, barely enough to raise her head to see Vio's horrid experiment. Uni was encased in flesh, inside the stomach of an egregiously tall monster, which its height could rival that to your typical skyscraper. "We won't even need an army at this point. This bad boy can rip apart everything left of Leanbox. And now, it's running entirely off the body of a CPU candidate, I wanted to use your body, but your HDD memory is so jacked up this thing would probably explode before it stepped out of Lastation."

"Vio! Please… stop this. Leave Uni out of this…" Noire tried to pull her hands against her chains, but her strength was diminished.

"No… No! Alright… you know how much bullshit I've had to deal with because of that worthless little shit sister of yours? All my projects, all my progress canceled so you could keep that annoying brat alive! Why do you care about her so much!? Never mind… it doesn't matter now. Lastation, and the rest of Gamindustri will fall to ASIC, just as it was always meant to be. Not a country run by CPUs, but of people."

Noire pulled that last of her strength together and looked Vio directly in the eye. "Fuck… you…"

But Vio merely scoffed at the CPUs meager insult. "Peashy, punch her 10000 more times please."

The small girl, still mind-controlled by Vio, cracked her bloody knuckles and unleashed hundreds of devastating punches into Noire, punches that could destroy entire buildings all compressed into the CPUs body. Noire could withstand the pain, but for how long?"

* * *

 _~Lowee Basilicom~_

Nepgear and Neptune cut away at the beast, limbs and gore flew across the room as Imposter Blanc cried in pain.

"Hey sis, how many arms you at" Neptune asked, with a heavy and exhausted tone.

"You getting tired sis? I expected as much, maybe you should take a nap as you always do." Nepgear was also exhausted but being better than Neptune was all the motivation she needed to keep going.

"And do three months of paperwork, not on in a million years!"

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME YOU BRATS!" Imposter Blanc screamed as the two sisters treated the battle as a typical game between the two.

"How many arms you at?" Neptune yelled across the room.

"More than you probably" Yelled back Nepgear as she focused on cutting apart the monsters arms.

"Jesus Christ… how the hell would Noire take out these two in a fair fight?" Kei watched in amazement as the two sisters battled with the atrocious monster with ease.

* * *

 _~Lastation, Torture Room~_

Plutia raised her head to see Rei and her left. Before she could even raise her lip, Lid plunged her blade into her stomach.

"Traitor!" She screamed as she dug the blade further into Plutia's side.

The pain shocked her at first, but she remembered all the grueling and painful nights she spent under Planeptune's basilicom. Compared to that, this was nothing more than a slight tickle for Plutia. In a taunting and provocative fashion, Plutia mockingly yawned at Lid, without giving her any sign of pain.

"Don't fuck with me you dog!" Lid drew her other blade and shoved It into Plutia's chest.

Still, Plutia felt nothing, and stared directly into Lid's eyes. "Is this supposed to hurt me? Are you actually trying to inflict some form of pain? Pathetic. You don't know what pain is, for your entire life, you've been Noire's dog, a mindless puppet striking at whatever she deems fit. You're sad Lid. You're the epitome of everything pathetic about humanity as a species. A starving meth addict child with HIV raped by Colombian drug lords on a daily basis would be able to inflict more pain onto me than you could ever dream of. At least I would feel some form of emotional pain for the kid, but you? You're nothing. You're nothing to anyone. Not even Vio likes you. That's right, the psychopathic mad scientist Vio doesn't even like you, how does that make you fucking feel? To know that your entire existence revolves around doing other people's dirty work and licking their feet until you're killed off? I have more respect for that lazy fuck Neptune more than you, at least Neptune has an endearing and charming personality despite how lazy she is, but you? You're a fucking shitshow of a person. You're a shitshow of a personality. And you're a shitshow of a character, what are you even good for? Stabbing people with your swords and shitty octo suit ripped off from Solidus from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty? You disgust me. Maybe if you didn't waste so much time sucking Noire's dick and died in a hole like the pathetic and worthless worm you are, maybe the amount of entropy in the universe wasted on your creation could have been used to create someone who'd have a notable contribution to society unlike you. Nobody is going to miss you when you die. Fuck you."

Plutia then spat into Lid's face, still keeping her stoic and unphased demeanor.

Lid, now starting to rabidly cry from Plutia's insults, still continued stabbing her, but Plutia just smiled and laughed at Lid's futile attempt to deliver pain. "It doesn't matter how many times you stab me you pathetic fuck, _**CPUs Never Cry**_. Plutia broke free from her chains and punched Lid in the face witch such force that launched her across multiple rooms and crashing through dozens of walls.

"Rei! Wake up! We need to find Peashy! She's stuck around here somewhere, and we need to save her!"

Rei woke up, drowsy and tired, she looked around and panicked, Plutia calmed her down by slapping her in the face. "Rei! Listen! Peashy is in trouble, we're going to find Vio and rip her fucking spine out. Can you fight?"

"Yeah… Yeah!" Rei also broke off her chains and focused what little of her power remained to form a blade. "Sorry, it's been awhile since I've done something like this."

"Well time isn't exactly on our side here, better hurry, besides…" Dozens of guards lined up at the broken wall that Lid was thrown through. "We've got a lot of trash to dig through."

* * *

 _~Lowee Basilicom~_

Imposter Blanc had tried out completely and stopped re-growing limbs, its life was near its end. Meanwhile, the sisters were starting to focus more on how many arms they cut off, concerned for not wanting to do 3 months of paperwork on their own.

"541, 542, 543… that should be more than Neptune, right?" Nepgear hastily counted as she looked back at Neptune's pile of arms which was on the other side of the room.

"541, 542, 543… that ought to be more than Nepgear, right sis!?" Neptune was dumbfounded to see her younger sister had cut off the exact same amount of limbs as she did.

"Well what the hell do we do now!? It's a goddamn tie!" Cried Neptune, hoping she'd get to avoid doing the tons of the paperwork she always hated doing.

"Don't ignore me you runts!" Imposter Blanc crawled towards the two sister, dragging whatever remained from its bleeding and dying body. "I can still kill you!"

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Nepgear kicked the HDD-Antidote in the air and kicked it again with the back of her foot in midair directly into Imposter Blanc's forehead. Causing the monster to turn into dust. "well… since I got the kill, _I_ get to relax, and _you_ have to do all the paperwork. How's that sound?"

"How about you two split up the paperwork?" Kei added in a snarky manner. "Christ, how the hell haven't you toppled the other nations with such strength!?"

"We don't really… feel like it." They both said in unison, looking at each other confused.

"Are you two serious? With your efforts combined, you could topple entire armies!" Kei was horribly confused. For her entire life, military might, and political dominance were the signs of a strong CPU and a strong nation, yet these two sisters represented the opposite of that.

"Why would we want to do that? More paperwork? Count me the hell out." Neptune added, as she wiped off her blade with the bottom of her ripped parka dress.

"Besides, conquest doesn't exactly sound like my style, at least I think it doesn't." Nepgear reloaded her handgun, and wiped off her dress, still stained with gore. "goddamn… I need a shower…"

"You two confuse me, greatly." Kei started to lean back into the wall to rest from her wounds, until she suddenly remembered that Rom and Ram were in the basement. "OH FUCK!" Screamed the oracle, panicking to open the jammed elevator, and greatly confusing the two CPUs.

"Uh, you alright Ms. Jinguji?" Nepgear kicked open the doors but then saw that the elevator's controls were jammed.

"I told Rom and Ram to scrap the building to kill off Imposter Blanc, I didn't expect you two to come along!"

"Did you now!" Nepgear grabbed Kei by the collar and started arguing with her.

Meanwhile, Neptune looked toward the corpse of Imposter Blanc and noticed a small glowing light dug inside the mound of flesh and gore. Digging her hand through it, the feeling and texture of various hairs and skin brushing along her hand disgusted her, but soon her hand stopped, and grabbed onto something that felt cold, yet so familiar. "Oh yeah… it's time."

Kei and Nepgear's argument stopped abruptly as a bright flashing light enveloped the room from where Neptune was standing, on from that, emerged a much taller and dominant woman, whose figure had made Nepgear jealous to the core.

" **Purple Heart** " Nepgear grudgingly gritted through her teeth as she threw Kei to the floor.

"Maybe it would be wise to take my hand, you two…" Purple Heart reached out both of her hands as a loud crash was heard from below the building, and the other two took her hands with hesitation and were jolted from their feet to hundreds of feet in the sky. They looked below as the basilicom was enveloped into a fiery and unrecognizable inferno.

 _~Later~_

When the three landed, Kei immediately fell onto the nearest bench and passed out. Meanwhile, Nepgear gave Purple Heart a deathly stare, and started to walk toward her angrily with her beam sword held tightly.

"Nepgear, sister… please. Is this really the time?"

"I don't care anymore, that form of yours pisses me off, and I'm going to knock you right out of it with my bare fucking hands!"

"Very well then…" Purple Heart and Nepgear readied the blades and charged at each other, Nepgear was shocked by how fast Neptune's swift strikes were, but she was able to parry one of her strikes and knocked Purple Heart back.

"Just because I don't have an HDD doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!"

"I never said you couldn't nor have I ever faulted you for not having your HDD form yet!"

"Shut up!" Nepgear flicked her blade off the ground launching snow off the ground to momentarily block Purple Heart's vison for a few moments before charging and and jamming her sword into Purple Heart's eye.

But Purple Heart was faster and caught it just before Nepgear could reach her. It was then that Nepgear's legs started to tremble and slipped, causing her to fall to her knees, and into her sister's arms. "Am… am I just that inferior?" Nepgear started to cry, clutching her sister tightly. "Why! I escaped from my boring life to become a CPU candidate and make something better of myself, now, I'm just back where I was. Second rate, a victim to those far stronger and powerful than me. I can't control anything, can I?"

But Purple Heart eased her younger sister to the ground and rested her head onto her lap. "You aren't inferior to me at all sister. You are a lot smarter, and a lot more determined than I usually am. But that's besides the point. Your HDD will arrive in due time… maybe it will come from a solid memory, maybe it will be from mass influx of faith, poured directly into you. All I know is that your time will shine eventually, and someday, you'll grow to surpass me."

"You really think so?" Nepgear lifted her head up, "You better not be lying to me!"

"I'm not, not one bit." Purple Heart kindly smiled back.

Nepgear couldn't help but smile back no matter how much she wanted to hate her. "Okay sis… but… what do we do now?"

"Goodness!" Yelled a familiar voice in the distance. The two sisters turned to see Histoire and Blanc's sisters following behind her. "I'm so glad you two managed to return safely! How long has it been since I've last seen you two? Purple Heart! You've gotten your HDD form back! How?"

"Looks like Vio didn't exactly count on me arriving to Lowee." Purple Heart transformed back into Neptune. Nepgear stood straight up next to her.

"What do we do now?" Both sisters asked.

"Kei told me that Vio could be planning something horrible in Lastation, we need to go there and stop her!"

"What about Leanbox and the others? We can't just leave them."

"That's easy, sis, take Histoire and the twins. They'll be safer with their older sister."

"And you!?"

"I have my HDD I can fly to Lastation in less than an hour" Neptune wasted no time transforming back into Purple Heart and dashing off toward Lastation, alone.

"Wait! Dammit!" Neptune punched a nearby concrete wall, creating a permanent indent into it. "Fine, let's head back to Leanbox…"

* * *

 _~Lastation torture chamber~  
_

"IT'S COMPLETE!" Vio yelled horrifically, the shrieks had pierced through Noire's ears and awoke her from her pain-induced unconsciousness.

The case of flesh that enveloped Uni was completely sealed, and the beasts eyes opened, it broke free from its restraints and trampled through the streets of Lastation on a one way course to the destruction of Leanbox.

"It's a shame Noire, you could've been such a great leader, but here you are, still holding onto the past and jeopardizing your country because of it. You're selfish Noire. You've prioritized your loyalty to your family over the loyalty to your country. You're scum, unlike you, I'm a true patriot. One who is willing to cut down anyone, even her own brethren for the sake of her country. We fought against Affimojas to secure Lastation and free it from tyranny, but it seems you're no better. You abused your position and our resources for your own personal desire. What does that make you Noire? You know what it makes you? Incompetent. Weak, and incompetent. Worry not Noire… ASIC controls Gamindustri, I will tear it apart from the inside and establish my own authority, only then will Gamindustri reach true enlightenment! What say you Noire!? WHAT SAY YOU!?"

Noire smirked under all her bruises and scars and stared directly into Vio's eyes. "If you think I gave a dan about your self-righteous bullshit, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to apologize. I don't give a damn about your shitty ideas for world domination, you know why? Because you're a fucking psycho, an annoying, pedantic, and pretentious psycho. You aren't clever, and you aren't smart. You think that hunk-of-meat-that-walks-slower-than-your-brain-cells-connecting-together you call a weapon is threatening? It's not. It's fucking ridiculous, and now, you've given the enemy a free CPU candidate.

"Bullshit, she wouldn't last a day outside that shell, her disease from Uzume would kill her!" Vio started to grow angry and gripped the scalpel on her hand tightly.

"Oh that? That's all bullshit… well… partially. She was struck by Uzume and did fall ill to her. But that was cured by my CPU skills in due time. No… Uni was in with me on this the whole time!"

"What! What the fuck are you talking about!?"

"Well not exactly, Uni agreed to fall unconscious, but she did it so I could give you a reason to do your experiments without suspicion from you. She didn't have any real problems or struggles, if anything, by forcing herself to stay unconscious, she's abusing her own body, and she lost her right arm in doing so. Though she didn't plan on me invading other countries and stealing the HDD cores, that I did for her sake, so when she woke up, she'd wake to a world in her hands, but she has her own plan now she wants to unite the country as four united nations, instead of my idealized untied continent. … but that all ends now. Vio, your intentions are clear, and it's too late for you. Uni is going to ensure ASIC's puppet never lays their hand on a governing board again. That freak machine of yours is going to be nowhere as strong or effective as you think it is, Uni is on the inside, and fighting It, preventing it from causing any major damage."

"Son of a bitch!" Vio threw over her surgical table and threw various beakers and glasses into the floor. "You've had this all planned from the start! Didn't you!?"

"I've never trusted you Vio. Never in my life. Everyday I've planned on how I would take you out, let's just say you've made my plan require extra steps."

"Oh? And what are they?"

"Well for starters…"

Vio turned around and jumped back as Purple Heart crashed through the ceiling. "It's over Vio."

 **To be concluded.**


	18. Chapter 18: One More Final: I Need You

End of Nepu May Cry: One More Final, I need you.

 _~Lastation~_

Purple Heart stood, the Nep Blade in one hand, Excalibur in the other. "So you're the one that's caused all this trouble, huh? There's a lot you two are going to pay for, you know that, right?"

Vio straightened up her messy collar and rolled down her sleeves, she had hoped to never encounter Neptune, especially in her HDD form. "That's right, I was also the one that sent you that anonymous message about the negative share energy. I more surprised your dumbass actually fell for it. We were really counting on Iris Heart to fight you, but you just made our job so much easier." Vio smugly walked up to Purple Heart. "And now you're here, Ms. Planeptune! It doesn't matter though. The dreadnaught is already on its way toward Leanbox. Kill me now, I don't care. My work here is done."

Purple snapped her katana next to Vio's neck, a hair's length from a fatal cut. The mad scientist stood lazily, eyes closed, and ready to die. Purple drew her sword back, leaving a devastating gash into Vio's neck. Blood spilled all over the room, and the mad scientist's body fell limp onto the floor.

Noire, still chained to the wall, felt a small amount of relief, but heavy disappointment due to not being able to kill Vio herself. "Well, I'm surprised you actually showed up. I detected your presence but was honestly expecting Green Heart." Noire let out a fake, desperate sounding laugh, before frowning and encompassing a demeanor of despair to the figure behind Purple Heart.

The CPU turned around to see Vio standing up straight, as if she had never been attacked, the only recognizable difference being her lab coat which was now far more bloody. "Well, what are you waiting for Purple Heart? I thought you planned on killing me?"

"The hell!?" Purple Heart the used both her blades to chop off Vio's head. Her head flew into the air followed by a trail of blood. Suddenly, the decapitated body froze in place along with the trail of blood leading to the head, as if time itself stopped. But Purple Heart and Noire were more than capable of moving normally. "What kind of magic are you pulling here Vio?!"

Immediately after, the trail of blood in the air, along with Vio's head, regressed back onto her body, as if time, in that small area, had reversed. "C'mon Purple Heart! What are you waiting for!?" Teased the mad scientist.

Enraged, Purple Heart cut Vio into a million pieces, the entire half of the room in front of Purple Heart was entirely painted red with blood, Vio's body had been cut down to the molecular level, but even then, it wasn't enough. All the blood and gore in the room flew back where Vio once stood, and the mad scientist continued to laugh. "It looks like you're tired Purple Heart! Can't seem to kill one, single, docile, and weak woman? Pathetic." Vio laughed as Purple Heart cut her apart again and again.

"Are you an idiot Purple Heart!?" Noire screamed. "That's not going to work, there must be a source of power somewhere else!" Noire struggled in her chains, feeling that she'd be far more up-to-task to take down Vio than Purple Heart.

"I'd listen to her, Purple Heart…" Vio, tired of messing with Purple Heart, summoned the scythe that Noire had once used to steal Neptune's HDD, and struck down Purple Heart's arm, clean. Purple Heart fell back and regressed back into Neptune, she looked to her right to see that she had lost her arm that held Excalibur.

Vio laughed manically as Neptune screamed in pain. "Damn! It's a shame I'm not a CPU, it seems only they can steal one another's HDD Memories. Then again, it's going to be far more satisfying cutting you apart PIECE BY PIECE!" Neptune ran away into the dark hallways of Vio torture chambers, leaving behind her right arm and Excalibur. The mad scientist menacingly walked after her, knowing she'd catch up to her eventually.

Noire tugged and pulled on her chains, and with enough determination, she broke free from them. "Vio's been getting cocky now, hasn't she?" The beaten and battered CPU walked up to Neptune's dismembered arm and grabbed Excalibur, the handle of the sword turned hot red and burned Noire's hand horribly, but the CPU didn't care. She needed to kill Vio. But despite all her determination, the sword continued to dig into Noire's skin, as if her hand was twisting into in the blade itself.

"Dammit! I need to kill that son of a bitch, If I'm ever going to-"

"To do what, redeem yourself?" Noire looked up to see Uni, astral projecting herself the same way she did back in Leanbox's basilicom.

"Sister! Are you okay!? Can you fight against the dreadnaught!?" Noire dropped the blade, which left a scalding mark of purple on her hand. "Uni! Are you-"

"I'm fine sister. Compa is safe in Leanbox, for now. And I'm doing my best to hold back the Dreadnaught, but I fear it may not be enough… sister… was this plan necessary?"

"I needed to give Vio power, it was the only way I could expose the remnants of ASIC. I knew Vio had been working with them since the founding of Lastation. ASIC was my last obstacle for the domination of Gamindustri…"

"Why sis… why did you want to dominate Gamindustri!?"

"It was for you Uni… I wanted to ensure a world free from wars and corruption. I wanted a world I could see you smile in!"

"A world born from blood? You're insane sister. I only agreed to your insane plan to expose ASIC through deceiving Vio with the hope of creating peace between the 4 nations. But here we are. Planeptune has been devastated, Lowee's basilicom has been destroyed entirely, and Leanbox is about to be destroyed by this very beast you helped create. You gave Vio this power, was it worth it? Couldn't you have allied with the other nations to take down the remnants of ASIC?" Uni stared at Noire with contempt and disappointment.

"I know I've created chaos, but it was the only choice I had, I swear! The other countries are corrupt as well. Their governments are controlled by humans who are inherently greedy and corrupt by nature! CPUs no longer have the power they once used to have. Vert, Blanc… Neptune, they're all puppets! Vert never gave a damn about the Fail-Naught Drug! Blanc never fought against her imposter! And Neptune's is a lazy and pathetic excuse of a leader! I could never trust _**any**_ of them!" Noire fell to her knees and started to cry.

"Even if that's true, that doesn't excuse the psychopathic and inhumane methods you've used on your conquest. Besides, Vert couldn't have been able to stop the FN-Drug, but you could've if you had just stopped Vio from developing it. Imposter Blanc wouldn't have existed if you had never stole her HDD memory to begin with. And Neptune? She came here, knowing full well of the horrors that awaited her, she came to fight Imposter Blanc and Iris Heart without her HDD, she put her life on the line because she had hope that she could change the world for the better in the face of death! And yet you call her lazy and pathetic!? I can't believe I destroyed my own arm for this! For you!"

Noire felt nothing but guilt and shame from Uni's revelation. She had been so blinded by conquest and nihilism that she never saw the horror of her actions. "You're right Uni, I'm a monster. But there's still a mess I need to clean up!" Noire grabbed Excalibur and marched after Vio, before she left the door, she turned back to Uni. "Stay safe sister…"

"I would've said the same to you, but not anymore…"

* * *

 _~Leanbox, slums entrance wall~_

Vert and Blanc stood atop the high wall that seperated the slums from the rest of Leanbox. Hundreds of thousands of armed citizens and remnants of the military stood the wall, armed and ready to protect what was left of their nation against the threat of Lastation. The two stood anxiously, awaiting for Cave to return with a report on the incoming Lastation forces.

"Tell me Blanc, do you think we can win?" Vert asked nervously.

"We have to, if this continent is ever going to have a future!" Blanc clutched the railing of the wall, she was just as nervous as her counterpart, but she had to look calm and confident. "Cave!"

The maid returned, with a look of distress and confusion.

Vert ran up and hugged her before she could even speak. "Cave you're safe!" The CPU cried.

"Vert, please, we need to focus."

Vert stepped back and nodded. "Right, Cave… what are there numbers…"

"There weren't any soldiers or tanks, no planes or artillery… but… I don't even know how to describe it… it was a monster, a gigantic one at that… It was probably just as tall as our basilicom was if not bigger…"

"Dammit!" Blanc furiously punched the concrete wall, leaving behind a serious indent. "So this was Noire's plan!"

"Or Vio's, those notes Plutia left behind had some valuable information, too bad it was focused on their military and Vio's experiments with weapons…" Vert retorted.

"Doesn't matter, Lastation bastards planned on wiping us out with this monster already, and they don't lose a single soldier. Fine, we'll have to improvise. Chika! How are we doing with weapons?"

The nervous oracle stepped forward, "We have enough small arms and rifles for everyone, but as for heavy weapons, only the remnants of our military, which is quite few, remain."

"Fine, call everyone back inside!" Blanc demanded. "Send out Nepgear's machines, then… evacuate everyone, I have a phone call to make with Mina." A nearby milita soldier handed her a phone.

"Evacuate everyone? What's your plan Blanc?" Vert demanded.

"Planeptune, they have nukes. Evacuate everyone here to that country. The standing government should be willing to nuke this place." Blanc coldy said.

"Are you insane, planning on nuking _my_ country!?" Vert, understandably angry, stepped up to Blanc, looking down on her sternly.

"Even if the infrastructure's gone, you'll still have people to lead. That monster isn't going to stop at Leanbox, Vert. It's going to destroy Planeptune and Lowee as well. If we had been holed up in my country, or in Planeptune, I would expect you to do the exact same…"

Chika, who just caught wind of the conversation, stepped in. "No wait, Lady Vert. As much as I'd hate to admit it. She's right. We can't defeat that monster with the weapons we have now. Those nukes should be able to do the job… it's the best plan we have, our people will be safe and we won't have to lose a single soldier, just as Lastation doesn't plan on losing of their own."

Vert sighed, as she sat back down, her wounds ached and her hands still shook, she couldn't fight no matter how badly she wanted to. "I see, Chika, get the military to round up everyone and get them to Planeptune.

"Yes ma'am!" Chika saluted the CPU and walked off.

"What are my orders now Lady Vert?" Cave knelt down and held Vert's hand softly, attempting to comfort her.

"I guess we'll have to leave as well… Cave, bring me to the PC-Continent… please… also, please ask IF and Compa if they wish to come along. MAGES can also be brought aboard" Vert asked solemnly, regretting the fact that by all accounts, she was usless for this battle.

"I understand Lady Vert…" Cave hugged Vert and carried her toward to her car, the two drove off toward the airport where a plane waited for them.

"What about you Blanc?" Chika asked.

"I'm waiting for Neptune to return with my sisters… hopefully she's okay…"

Immediately after, a militia soldier barged into the room " Lady Blanc! Nepgear has returned with Rom and Ram!"

"Speak of the devil, good luck with leading the people back to Planeptune with the military."

"As with you Lady Blanc…" Chika left and Blanc followed the soldier to the entrance of the gates.

"Lady Blanc, Nepgear has also brought a prisoner with her…" added the militia soldier.

"Who?"

"She claims to be Kei Jinguji, the oracle of Lastation."

"Son of a bitch."

 _~Leanbox Gate~_

"Sis!" Rom and Ram ran toward their older sister and jumped up to hug her, Blanc held them close tightly. "Oh I so glad you're safe! Where's Neptune?"

"She went off to Lastation by herself, that idiot…" Nepgear lighted a cigarette and stared at all the soldiers and citizens walked to the west toward Planeptune. "Where they all headed?"

"They're all headed to Planeptune… what do you mean Neptune went to Lastation!?"

"She got her HDD back, fancy her."

"She did? Damn… well… That's good to hear, but going to Lastation all by herself, is she insane!?"

"That's my dumbass sister for you."

"Nothing I can do about it now. Look, Lastation has sent some form of superweapon after us, a monster the size of a skyscraper."

"That's unsurprising, those pesky bastards are always up to something, oh- speaking of which."

Nepgear went to the trunk of the car she drove to get to Leanbox, inside was Kei, passed out and tired.

"She's all yours…" Nepgear walked away and went to work on whatever she could with her Nepgeardam.

Blanc pulled Kei out of the trunk on threw her to the floor, waking her up in pain. "Afternoon, BITCH!" Blanc stomped Kei in the stomach, as her two younger sisters were taken aback with fear.

Kei coughed up a bit of blood, then turned to Blanc, "Good afternoon to you too Lady Blanc. Glad to see your sisters are alright."

"Don't act jolly with me you ignorant fucking cunt!" Kei had her stomach stomped on by Blanc again. "You and the rest of the bastards in Lastation made of clone of me and held my sisters hostage! And now I've heard that my entire basilicom has been fucking destroyed! You cunt!" Blanc pounced on Kei and started to smash her face with her own fist.

"Blanc! Stop!" Both sisters screamed and tugged onto their older sister's sleeves. Blanc threw one last punch before backing off. "Blanc! She saved our lives! We had to destroy the basilicom. Because the we didn't want to risk any more monsters appearing!"

Blanc looked to her younger sisters, distraught with fear after seeing their sister act so violently and irrationally. "Rom… Ram…"

"Don't feel bad, you're right. I did associate with monsters like Vio and Lid. I'm not going to make excuses. If you want to kill me, do it now." Kei stood up straight and made direct eye contact with Blanc. She had done the best she could against what she had helped create. That's all that mattered to her.

Blanc pulled out her revolver and crammed it into Kei's forehead. "Do you deserve to live Kei? Do you?"

"No, I don't. I'm both a murderer and a bystander. I simply watched as Vio and Lid destroyed this continent corpse by corpse. We've killed people, it would only be fair for you to do unto me as I've done to you." Kei said confidently, maintaining eye contact with Blanc.

"So, you're saying there's no reason to not pull this trigger!?" Blanc firmly placed her finger on the trigger, the cough of a fly could end Kei's life right now.

"Not from me."

Blanc looked behind her, Rom and Ram were staring anxiously. Blanc looked back at Kei, still giving her the same, blank stare. "Fine. Go with the citizens then, if I won't kill you, then they will"

Kei nodded, and ran off with all the citizens escaping to Planeptune.

"Sis, is she going to be okay" Asked Rom.

"I don't care. I need to talk to Mina…"

 _~Phone Dial~_

"Blanc? Is this a secure line?"

"As secure as it gets, Mina. How's your excursion in Planeptune going?"

"It's fine, Falcom's been quite the talkative host. I've been negotiating with Planeptune's government seeing if they are willing to provide foreign aid."

"In exchange for what?"

"Favors, clout, the usual."

"It's a step up from the usual at least. Look, tell them I need them to use their nuclear arsenal"

A long pause occurred for a good while. The only sound that could be heard were the faint conversations from other government works in the same room as Mina.

"What?" Mina asked with a laugh, as if Blanc had told her a ridiculous joke.

"You heard me, tell Planeptune I need their nukes launched at this location!"

"That's… that's not something I can just do on a whim you know… technically speaking, Planeptune has nothing to do with this war Blanc. They don't need to listen to whatever the hell we say. We've also caught wind of all the refugees you're sending. They're willing to dispatch public workers and volunteers but they won't let them set foot in the country."

"Tell them this. If they don't get off their asses and do something, about the skyscraper-tall fucking monster about to destroy me and later their dumbasses, that Neptune is going to fucking execute every last one of them. And tell them I'm not bullshitting, you wanna know how they got their positions in government? Those Planeptune fucks? They kept their jobs because they haven't interfered with Neptune's own work. Listen here Mina. I am Neptune's Ex-Girlfriend!-"

"Lady Blanc, I don't think they really care Blanc, look. I understand the situation, but we can't just… you do realize how insane this is, right?"

"Fine, don't launch the nukes. But I need something to kill that fucking monster."

"Hmm… well, telling them to launch nukes would be insane, but… I could maybe… a slightly active warhead Maybe have some there just pull one out and deliver it by drone plane, and you'd have to detonate it yourself. Which obviously wouldn't-"

"I'll do it."

"What!? Lady Blanc, I was joking I don't mean for you to seriously detonate a nuke by-"

"Mina! I'm getting tired this fucking Job, I just want a world where my sisters can live comfortably-"

"And you think blowing yourself up is going to put them at ease?"

"A Skyscraper-tall monster roaming around and destroying everything in sight doesn't seem to be much wiser either."

"Blanc, think about what you're doing. If… if you die. Your sisters won't have anyone to guide them. I mean, the basilicom is gone Blanc, your government is nonexistent, the fucking country is in chaos right now! And your plan is to fucking kill yourself!?"

"Look! I understand what I'm doing is selfish, but I need-"

"No! You need to understand that-"

"NO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT I'M SICK AND TIRED OF THIS FUCKING JOB!" Blanc's yelled attracted the attention of many passersby.

Mina was silent for a good while, Blanc, now breathing heavily, hand shaking, and now tearing up, felt a wave of relief when Mina responded.

"Falcom's delivering the bomb, she'll also be the one picking up Rom and Ram. Goodbye Blanc" Mina hung up the phone.

The empty dial tone matched Blanc's heart right now. She fell to floor, with her back against the wall. "What the hell am I doing?"

 _~Leanbox garage~_

Nepgear was busy working on the last touches of the Nepgeardam. "A monster the size of a skyscraper huh? Ain't that something new? Screwdriver" Nepgear reached out her hand, Histoire picked up the screwdriver and scampered in the air, still exhausted from the bags of flour. "Oh! Blanc!"

The brunette CPU picked up the screwdriver before Histoire could drop it. "Thank you, Lady Blanc."

"It's fine Histoire… look. Can Nepgear and I talk quietly?"

"Oh… um. Of course." Histoire flew out the room and fell asleep to conserve some more energy.

"Alright Blanny, what's your plan here?"

"Falcom's delivering a nuclear warhead, since we're the ones detonating it, Planeptune can't be seen as exercising their nuclear power"

"Ah, I see."

Blanc stood for a moment, hoping for a more substantial response from Nepgear. "Well? Aren't you concerned?"

"About what? That my government is filled with sleezy fucks? I knew that already."

"That's not the point. You don't need to stay here if you don't have to Nepgear."

The candidate dropped her tools and slid up from under the Nepgeardam. She stood back up and dusted off her hands, resting them onto the table and smirking. "What are you trying to pull of here Blanc? Some heroic sacrifice? I don't care. You want to kill yourself? That's fine. Don't bring me along."

"I lied to everyone Nepgear."

Nepgear's eyes widened, she was now immediately invested in what Blanc had to say. "Continue…"

"I'm not going to use the warhead to destroy the monster, Nepgear. I'm going to use it as a temporary HDD."

Nepgear looked dumbfounded. "W-what? HDD, what?"

"I don't want to die like a dog Nepgear, my time as a CPU is going to end soon. I want it to end fighting for what's right. Do you know why Planeptune has a nuclear arsenal?"

"Nuclear deterrence?"

"Nope. HDD memories can be made in three ways. One acquires a vast amount of shares through immense faith from people. Another way is through desperation, like a cornered rat. But one final is way to condense raw energy into a single object, like a nuclear bomb. I would know, we were the first country to create prototypes of the damn things. Though only one was ever successful. Fun fact, that one success was Noire…"

"Really?"

"She was thrown down a stream and made contact with one of our prototypes which we disposed into the water."

"Why the hell was she thrown down a stream?"

"Long ass story, ask Neptune."

"Fair enough. You think that could work on me?"

"Wouldn't risk it, but I remember the process on how to make it."

"I thought all your prototypes failed except for the one that touched Noire?"

"They failed for everyone because they couldn't become CPUs, I could, but I didn't want to. I avoided it at all cost, it wasn't until Neptune's life was in danger when I caved in."

"You became a CPU to save _her_ life? Yeesh, worst trade deal ever-"

"What the hell is your deal with her!? She may not be the best sister, but she's worked her ass of for you and her country, even if you don't like her don't you think she deserves some respect!?"

"Maybe she does, but I need to be better than her. She's not going to be CPU forever, and I've yet to get my HDD, if she dies, or disappears. I'm shit out of luck. I antagonize her because I need to. She's the reason I wake up every morning and work my ass of. She's the reason I fight, the reason I even bothered coming here. What's your reason for fighting Blanc?"

"I'm fighting… I'm fighting for my sisters, they mean the world to me. But I'm also fighting for Neptune, so she doesn't have to fight anymore. She doesn't deserve anymore burdens, no more than the ones I already gave her by leaving her behind."

"That's sweet." Nepgear said, without a hint of sarcasm or wit. The pure tone of the complement took Blanc by surprise. "Do you want to fight with me Blanc, together, I think we can take that big bastard down. What do you say?"

"I don't really have a choice. But I'll do anything to protect them…"

Both CPUs shook hands, Nepgear started up the Nepgeardam, and the interior opened, for the two to pilot together. "I originally planned for it to autonomous. But I've prepared a manual mode just in case. Don't worry, it's really easy to use.

* * *

 _~Lastation Basilicom~_

Plutia and Rei had fought out from Vio's torture chambers, into the main hall of Lastation's basilicom. The hundreds of guards that surrounded them were no match for Plutia's strength, she dashed through the brigade's of soldiers, knocking them all over the room and through the ceiling, the bullet wounds she sustained were nullified due to her inhuman pain resistance and healing factor.

"It's been forever since I've fought like this!" Rei, exhausted from the constant running and slashing, grew wearier and wearier through each wave of soldiers.

"We're going to find Peashy dammit! We need to save her! It's the least I can do after what I've done…" Plutia begged Rei to keep moving.

"Plutia! There!"

From the doorway down the end of the hallway, emerged a small, blonde-haired, girl. Plutia ran toward her in relief, but Rei stood suspicious.

"Plutia Wait!"

Before Plutia could reach to grab Peashy, the small girl punched her in the face, knocking her across the room and causing Plutia to bounce across the floor like a skipping stone.

"Vio told me to kill you two! And as we all now, Vio's always right!"

"Dammit, she's been brainwashed to all hell!" Rei drew her sword back but walked toward her slowly "Peashy… it's me. You remember me? I was great friends with your parents."

"Vio is my only parent silly!" Peashy pounced toward Rei for a killing strike, only for Plutia to pounce back and knock her to the floor.

"Dammit Peashy! Listen to me!" But the child struggled against Plutia, during her flailing, she had hit Plutia in the face so hard the gush of wind had broke all the glass behind her, but Plutia stood still. Taking in the devastating punch without flinching. "Hit me all you want! I'm not giving up on you!"

Peashy then smashed Plutia in the stomach, launching her all the way through the roof, when the fell back down, Plutia was kicked through another room, leaving a sizable hole through the marble wall.

"I'm not giving up yet" Plutia got back up, her face was swollen, and she vomited insane amounts of blood, but she pushed toward Peashy. "Peashy… I'm the one who killed your parents! I'm the one who made them disappear!"

The revelation had Peashy pause. "Mama… Dada… no! Vio is my-"

"No she's not! Your parents were freedom fighters! They fought against a terrible, and ruthless tyrant. _**I**_ was that tyrant! I was the one that made people suffer, I was the reason they fought, they fought to protect you from me!"

Peashy fell on her knees and clutched her head in pain. "No! No! I- I'm… Peashy… Plutie… were you the one that made Mommy and Daddy disappear?"

"Yes… yes I was…"

Peashy looked down sadly "Why… why did you do that!?"

"I have no reason… I'm a monster, one undeserving of redemption-"

"YOU'RE A MEANIE!" Peashy pounced Plutia and smashed her head and Plutia's stomach into the ground repeatedly, causing blood to fly across the room, until Rei intervened.

"Peashy stop!"

"No! She made Mommy and Daddy disappear! She doesn't deserve to live!"

The words struck like knives through Plutia's heart. Pain far more brutal than any gun or blade that struck her.

"Peashy!" Rei picked up Peashy who then grew tired and passed out from stress. "My goodness… Peashy…" Rei hugged her close, caressing the back of her head. "We're going home now…" Rei went to help Plutia up but she knocked her hand away.

"Leave me here. She's right. I don't deserve to live. There's nothing I can do to bring back the people I've murdered. I can only beg helplessly." A small tear fell down the side of Plutia's cheek.

Rei looked at Plutia's body, in horror, she realized the Peashy had ripped Plutia in half, yet there she was laid, with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Rei… than you Peashy, for putting down a monster like me."

"Plutia! You… we could've…"

Plutia, dragging the top half of her body, held onto Rei's hand. "There was nothing I could've done. I'll either be with Yuri once again, or maybe hell is what awaits me. Oh, what was it again…? I remember now….

 _To see the world in a grain of sand_

 _And heaven in a wildflower_

 _Hold infinity in the palm of your hand_

 _And eternity in an hour_

…"

And like a flower in a brisk wind, a tear into the endless void. Plutia had perished.

Rei ran with Peashy in her hands, far from Lastation. The CPU-DL was gone, one of her only remaining friends had perished. She had basically nowhere to go. In desperation, she fell to her knees and looked up at the dark and empty sky of Lastation. Her screams could be heard by no one, not even Peashy, who was fast asleep.

She then curled up, with Peashy in her arms, amidst an empty and solace field.

* * *

 _~Lastation Torture Chambers~_

Neptune barged into the furnace room, grabbed a random sheet of metal and placed it above the fire, using it to cauterize her still bleed arm wound. "That goddamn scythe, what the hell is that damn thing!?"

"It's raw negative share energy, specially designed to kill pesky little CPUs just. Like. YOU!" Vio broke into the room and cornered Neptune. "C'mon, you're a CPU! Shouldn't you be cutting me to bits right now!?"

Neptune struck Vio in the head, but the mad scientist stood still, laughing. "You can't kill me Neptune! You want to know why!" Vio reached into her chest and pulled out and HDD memory, but unlike the usual memory, her memory was coated with red electricity. "My mortal body had long since been abandoned, now, I am essentially living negative share energy! You can't destroy pure energy Neptune!"

"If it talks, it can be shut up!" Neptune Pulled back her sword and cut off Vio's hand, the scythe landing back into the hand of Neptune as she dropped her katana for the scythe. "Something something taste of medicine."

Vio stood, unaffected. "Alright, go on Neptune, just try and hit me!"

Not falling for what she assumed to be a bluff from Vio, Neptune swung at Vio's head, only for the scythe to bounce right off of her.

"C'mon Neptune! Basic physics. A negative force will always repel a negative force!" Vio punched Neptune in the stomach, launching her into the wall. "Then again, a dumb dolt like you probably couldn't figure that out." Vio's arm regenerated, the scythe fell back into the hands of the Mad Scientist. "Let's see… let's start with the left leg!"

Vio jammed the sword through Neptune's thigh, severing her leg from the rest of her body. Neptune bled profusely, she gagged in pain, and screamed in anguish. Vio laughing through every moment of it.

"Now… how about that right arm, can't have you annoyingly fighting back now can't we? Then again, I guess that'd ruin some of the fun… whatever!" Vio severed Neptune's right arm, the CPU's twitches of pain started to fade, as the loss of blood took its toll. Neptune lost her strength.

"Well damn, I was going to cut off the rest of the limbs, but I guess this will have to do!" Vio placed the scythe on Neptune's neck, and made a deep incision, coated the CPUs corpse in blood. "Something something, taste of medicine, isn't that how you'd put it. Bitch!"

Neptune's lifeless body was laid cold. The color of her eyes started to fade, her once confident demeanor turning into numbness.

"Yeesh. So melodramatic, oh Noire! You made- holy shit you're carrying Excalibur!"

Noire's arm was surging with pain, Excalibur was trying its best to reject its evil wielder, but Noire held onto it out of desperation.

"C'mon, you don't think you're actually going to kill me in that condition, are you?"

Noire ignored Vio's witty remark and stood over Neptune's corpse. "Sleeping on the job huh? What else is new?"

Vio, confused, laughed at Noire's statement. "And I thought I was the one losing it. At least I know when a subject is dead."

Noire, continued to ignore Vio, using both of her hands, she lifted Excalibur into the air, her hands shaking intensely from the pain. "Time to wake up dammit!"

Vio, realizing what was about to happen, stabbed the scythe through Noire's chest, but it was too late. Excalibur was plunged into Neptune's chest.

The crystal in Excalibur broke, creating an explosion so large, the entirety of Lastation's basilicom was enveloped in raw energy.

* * *

 _~Leanbox Airport~_

Cave, Compa, and IF were in a small room in Vert's private plane that was almost as large as an entire stadium. In essence, the plane was a flying city, many of the citizens who refused to go to Planeptune, boarded. The issue was that the plane used inhumane amounts of fuel so it's usage was sparse.

"Well, what is it?" Cave asked

"Uni gave it to me, it's what healed Compa from the FN-Drug."

"If it worked on me, it should be able to work on MAGES as well!" Compa, holding the shard, placed it gently on MAGES body, as expected, the shard healed mages, and in an instant. She was healed.

"Uh-umm where am I? Cave? Is that you?" The maid cried in joy as her long lost friend was finally reunited with her. But the gleeful atmosphere was cut short by the appearance of an uninvited guest.

A loud explosion was heard from the airport, from the flames emerged, Lid, on a way course to kill IF and Vert.

"Everyone! Stay in here!" IF loudly demanded.

"We can help! Yelled Cave, but IF ignored her shut down the entrance to the plane.

"Aeifu Factoria… how kind of you to come and fight me alone like a real warrior!"

"You think you're a real warrior Lid? That's funny, no I'm serious, that's downright hilarious. You wanna know why Lid. You want to know why I'm laughing at you right now? It's simple. You're not a warrior. You're rat. You're a rat chasing around whatever for survival. You aren't a warrior, you're a savage. You have no principals, you have no morals. You're aren't fighting for anything meaningful, you're fighting for a broken country, a corrupt leader, and a mad scientist. You think working for such scum makes you a warrior, but I'm sorry, but you're sorely mistaken. That doesn't make you warrior, that makes you a puppet. A puppet controlled by those far smarter than you are"

"Shut up! First that bratty CPU and now you, I won't have any more of this-"

IF took no time and dashed toward Lid, taking her by surprise and jabbing her in the side, causing her to bleed.

"Y-you coward, you can't"

"I don't give a damn about fighting with "honor" or "fairness" that's just bullshit scum like you make up to make the world convenient for you." IF signaled Compa, who pulled out her syringe launcher, destroying both of Lid's tendrils.

"Goddamit you-"

Suddenly, she felt thousands of volts of electricity surge through her body, Cave had attached a jammer into Lid's back which scrambled her suit and sent electricity throughout her own body.

"COWARDS! ALL OF YOU! YOU CAN'T FACE ME ONE ON-"

IF jabbed her katar into Lid's other side, causing Lid to bleed even more.

"Pathetic." Lid looked up to see Vert, with a crutch, slowly making her way toward her.

"I was expecting more of a fight from you. Then again, you had the audacity to strike me during my party, killing hundreds of innocent civilians. You waged war on my country when we had a deal. Look at you. On your knees and bleeding to death."

Vert took out a lever shotgun and blasted her right kneecap, fragments of skin and bone splatted across the pavement. Lid screamed in pain as she was unable to manage the excruciating pain. Vert fired another shotgun blast into Lid's left kneecap, severing it completely. "Killing you normally isn't enough, it really isn't."

IF grabbed a rope and tied around Lid's neck and connected into the tail end of the plane. Lid struggled and tried to pull the rope off, but Compa, enraged and furious from Lid's actions, cut off both of Lid's arms with her syringe rifle.

The plane took of and Lid slowly, and painfully started suffocating as she was hanged hundreds of feet in the air as the plane flew away from Gamindustri. Lid's now lifeless corpse, hanging as a message of the brutality and ruthlessness Gamindustri enacted on each other.

* * *

 _~Leanbox Gate~_

The dreadnaught was now in view of the gate at Leanbox. Cave's estimations weren't far off, the monster sported a height that almost broke the clouds.

Nepgear and Blanc were the only people left in the slums. Both were inside of the Nepgeardam, Blanc, with a nuclear warhead in her hands, took out the uranium and used what little share energy she had left to transform it into a temporary HDD memory.

"What happens after the memory dies?"

"I go along with it. Hopefully I won't need to use it."

The dreadnaught stopped moving, the beasts opened its mouth filled with hundreds of eyes, all with teeth replacing its pupils, from the depths of the throat gleamed a beam of light. In a split second, laser swept across the wall behind Nepgear and Blanc, destroying it effortlessly. The slums were consumed by flames and carnage.

"Looks like you made the right choice Lady Blanc."

"You bet your ass I did! LET'S GO!" Both girls pushed forward, piloting the Nepgeardam to charge toward the dreadnaught. The beast in the distance had cannons emerge from it's should that fired hundreds of thousands of missiles at the machine.

"Nepgear! You're up!"

The candidate tapped a touchpad on her left, activating two laser cannons from its back to circle through the thousands of missiles, destroying them all in the sky before it could reach the Nepgeardam

"You supposed that thing's got a weak spot Nepgear?"

"Chopping off its damn head oughta do it!" Nepgear pulled down a lever next to her which activated the Nepgeardam's wrist blade.

"I can handle the flight controls!" Blanc pulled down a hatch from above which activated Nepgeardam's wings, boosting it into the air, as it dodged missiles and other projectiles from the dreadnaught.

Nepgeardam then reached the top, matching eye length with the dreadnaught above the clouds. "Wait for it…"

The dreadnaught opened its mouth preparing for a devastating beam attack again. "Wait for it…"

Just before the laser exited the monsters mouth, the Nepgeardam charged at its neck and dug its wrist blade inside of it. It made a full loop around the head, severing it completely and causing a torrent of blood and gore to fall from the sky. The destroyed remains of Leanbox were flooded in blood, a sea of red.

The two girls inside high fived each other, but inside, they knew the job wasn't done. From the cut wound of the dreadnaught, two more heads grew, as the Nepgeardam cut off a head, two more grew, until the amount of heads was so overwhelming that the Nepgeardam was ripped apart from its legs and arms. The amount of blood that spilled was enough that parts of debris from the destroyed country of Leanbox rose from the surface and floated.

"Dammit, Blanc, put it back on the ground we need to-"

"There is no ground! It's just a sea of blood-" The Nepgeardam was knocked down out of commission from of the sky. The two CPUs had lost control of the Nepgeardam and crashed into the ocean of red.

* * *

 _~One More Final~_

Neptune awoke in a sea of purple flowers. In the distance, she saw a very familiar woman with purple twin tails. She turned back and smiled at her daughter. "Neptune…"

The CPU ran across the field of flowers scattering them across the wind. "Mother!" Neptune embraced her with a tight hug and started to cry in happiness.

"Neptune, my daughter. You're here, b-but how!? I locked myself inside Excalibur so no one could enter!"

"Wait… where am I?"

"You… you're inside the crystal. The one I placed on Excalibur. Neptune, dear. I've been with you this whole time!"

"Oh now you're just sounding cheesy. So uh… how do I get out of here…?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I mean, I don't even know how you got in here!"

I'm not to sure. Jeez, amnesia how original. Ah! I remember, I was running from Vio and… son of a bitch!"

"Language!" Uzume sternly yelled, grabbing Neptune by her collar.

"Sorry, but… I was killed by Vio. I got my HDD, but she managed to knock me out of it. She cut off my right arm, and that's how I lost Excalibur…"

"Well, if you ended up inside Excalibur, surely someone must have brought it to you…"

"I… Noire? She couldn't have, the sword would've burnt her hand off."

"Maybe, but if she was resilient enough, she could've brought it to you in time…"

"You think she'd do that for me?"

"You two have similar interest… killing Vio. I imagine she would have gotten desperate enough to carry Excalibur despite all the pain to bring you back, besides. You're her best bet for taking down Vio. She can't take her down on her own."

"I-I was weak though. She killed me!"

"That's not surprising, that scythe was made from the soul of CPU Uranus. Her death left behind a bitter and vengeful soul which years for the memories of other CPUs…"

"Greta, more ancestors of mine screwing me over…"

"Maybe you just need some _motivation_ , here." Uzume reached out her hand toward Neptune.

"What, uh, you want a dance or something?"

"Of course not silly, please, take my hand."

Reluctantly, Neptune reached out, slowly, Uzume started to disintegrate and become absorbed into Neptune.

"Wait… WAIT! No! Mom! Don't-"

"C'mon Neptune, you knew this would happen eventually."

"But- I don't want lose you again!" Neptune tried to let go, but Uzume held her firmly. As Uzume's image started to fade, Tears began to streak down Neptune's face.

"Uh- Dammit! I'm not crying! I'm just-"

"Neptune, this world is bleak, its future is dim. While you may be its sole hope, even _you may cry_ from such despair"

"I'm not crying dammit!" Neptune's words betrayed her feelings. "I never wanted to do any of this! I don't enjoy fighting! I don't enjoy having to fix a broken and hopeless world! Why!? Why am I the one that has to deal with this. What am I? Some protagonist in some game? Some story? I never wanted-"

Uzume held her daughter closely and tightly. "Neptune, maybe in another life you could've been a normal girl. Maybe you could've gone through school and had a job, a spouse, a normal life. But that doesn't matter anymore. You're a CPU done and done. You may never have that chance of a normal life, but you have the ability to give others that chance! Gamindustri is starting to crumble, it'll be your turn to turn it into a new united nation. Please Neptune, be the light of this world."

Neptune opened her eyes, Uzume was gone. The sky above started to shatter into pieces of glass. "Okay… I-I… Yes! I understand mom. I know what I have to do. I need to bring this continent a **new beginning!** "

* * *

 _~Leanbox~_

Nepgear regained consciousness, she was lucky enough for the Nepgeardam to have landed on top of some debris and floating buildings. "Well would you look at that! We didn't have to drown to our deaths. Aren't we some lucky bastards? Right Blanc?"

Blanc looked down at herself mortified, a large piece of shrapnel had dug into her stomach, another through her breast. "S-s-Shit… l-l-looks like… I'm going to- have to- leave Rom and Ram… sorry…" Her head rested slowly, her eyes remained open and blood filled the cockpit of the broken down Nepgeardam.

A sharp string of sorrow wrapped around Nepgear's heart. "Blanc… dammit!" Nepgear punched open the cockpit, which flew off into the ocean of blood. She carried Blanc's body out of the mech and rested it on the floating debris they were on.

Hideous roars echoed throughout the battlefield. Nepgear looked up, the dreadnaught was drenched up to the chest in blood. Hundreds of heads stared down at hell, all with their own devastating lasers that singlehandedly destroyed the slums of Lastation.

"You really went overboard on this one, Vio…" Nepgear walked to the edge of the debris she was standing on and brandished her beam saber. In her pocket, was Blanc's temporary HDD core, highly unstable if used incorrectly. "No… can't risk it. Still, how the hell am I going to take out this thing!?"

The dreadnaught smashed down one of its arms, launching Nepgear and all the surrounding debris to fly in the air before smashing down again. Nepgear fell back into the bloody ocean, Blanc's body fell down as well, but Nepgear couldn't risk drowning for it. Blanc's final resting place would be at the bottom of a sea of red.

Nepgear lifted herself back up onto a piece of a broken building, soaked in blood. "Fucking hell, this almost as bad as my first period."

A small flashing sparked in the distance. Nepgear looked up to see Famitsu's drone flying in the distance.

 _~Vert's Private Jet, living room~_

IF, Compa, Cave, and Vert all stared intently at the screen. Nepgear was standing all alone against a beast thousands of time bigger than her, with abilities that could wipe her out in an instant.

"What the hell can we do?" Vert had her hands pressed against her forehead, everyone else was hopeless, except for Compa.

"I… I have faith that Nepgear can pull through!" Compa held her hands together hopefully. Purely optimistic about the situation at hand.

"Compa, you've gotta be kidding me, I mean, that thing is taller than the highest mountains in all of Gamindustri!" IF saw no victory in the situation.

"No wait, I agree with Compa. She's a CPU after all. Her power increases by our own faith!" MAGES sat next to Compa and held her hands together too, Cave followed after them, Vert and IF saw no other option other than to have hope as well.

 _~Planeptune~_

Mina was holding the twins close together, who were crying intensely after seeing the body of their older sister.

"C'mon Nepgear!" Yelled Falcom "Kick its ass!"

"That's right!" Ram wiped away her tears and cheered her on as well, Rom followed too. "Avenge our sister Nepgear, please!"

 _~Somewhere in Lowee~_

Rei Ryghts and Peashy were coddled up in an abandoned house. The only source of light was the red and white screen depicting Nepgear facing off against the dreadnaught alone. "Faith in CPUs huh? I guess for this time, I don't really have a choice…"

 _~Planeptune Outskirts~_

Kei, wearing a hoodie and glasses to disguise herself, joined a crowd of people huddling around a T.V.

"It's Nepgear, can she take on that thing all by herself?"

"No way, that thing is going to destroy her! It's going to destroy all of us."

Kei interrupted the groups conversation. "CPUs are powered by our faith… even if the chances are minimal, it should be our responsibility as citizens of Gamindustri to give our faith to our CPUs when the time calls for it."

The group looked at her oddly for a bit before shrugging and agreeing. "Sure, why the hell not?"

 _~Leanbox~_

"This feeling… this… this is something new." Nepgear felt energy surge through her body, her wounds were healed, and her mind was put a peace. "This must be what its like for people to have their faith in you… well, I can't disappoint them now!"

All of the dreadnaught's heads fired at Nepgear, people all across Gamindustri were frightened, shocked, and mortified.

Until, a flash of Lilac pierced through the sea of red. A figure blasted into the air, with hundreds of wings and a blade that doubled as a cannon.

"The people of Gamindustri have called upon me **Lilac Heart!** "

Lilac Heart charged at the dreadnaughts torso, cutting it piece by piece, dodging hundreds of lasers with pinpoint precision. With a devastating slash, Lilac Heart opened up the dreadnaught's chest, revealing Uni encased inside. Lilac Heart flew in and pulled Uni out of her prison, and in her place, she planted Blanc's temporary HDD core, and violently punched it.

"NOW!" Lilac Heart boosted into the air while carrying Uni, outrunning the nuclear explosion slowly following her from behind.

Lilac heart flew past the clouds of blood as high as she possibly could. In the distance she saw the sun setting, a particularly beautiful sight from where she was standing, and as the sun set, a flash of purple was seen in the horizon, before the sun disappeared, and the continent was enveloped in darkness. Only the faint light of Lilac Heart's processor unit could be seen in the night sky.

"W-where… Nepgear?" Uni had woke up in Lilac Heart's arms. She looked around a slightly panicked, but Lilac Heart held her closer to comfort her.

"It's alright Uni, it's over now. Well… at least on my end."

* * *

 _~Lastation Basilicom remains~_

Noire woke up, the bleeding wound in her body worsened, she looked around, the sky started to turn red, her entire basilicom was destroyed, years of history and comradery all reduced to rubble decorating a massive crater. When she stood up, Vio was also alone, standing with the scythe.

To their right a blinding light was shining in the sky. When everything was clear, a goddess descended from the sky. A true goddess. Decorated with armor forged by the celestian goddesses millennia ago during the very creation of Gamindustri. She the summoned a great sword, a blade twice her own size in height.

This was Neptune's final form: **Neo Alpha.**

 **"** HAHA! Alright Neptune! C'mon," Vio pulled out her scythe and clashed it with Neo-Alpha's great sword, the tremendous force of the sword launched Vio back into the ground. "Dammit, this is a bit unfair you know! I mean, not many people, let alone CPUs acquire some form of 2nd phase in their-"

Neo-Alpha did not have time for words, she split her great sword into two broadswords that resembled Excalibur. Vio had trouble keeping up with the strikes, and soon, the scythe was knocked out of her hands.

"Fine! Cut me up all you want! You know it won't make a difference!" Vio stood in front of Neo-Alpha smugly. But Neo-Alpha instead grabbed Vio by the neck and flew toward the atmosphere.

"W-wait, hold on here. Wait. WAIT!" Vio struggled and fought against Neo-Alpha's hold on her to no avail. She felt her body drastically getting warmer and warmer as it burned through exiting the atmosphere, until they both were in outer space. Vio started suffocating and her face imploded inward only to reconstruct itself. Neo-Alpha kicked Vio off away from the planet, carried away by inertia. The Mad Scientist's greatest experiment would be her eventual doom: immortality. Vio couldn't scream or beg for help, all she could do was suffer a painful death in silence, only to continue relieving it over and over for the rest of eternity.

Neo-Alpha returned to the surface. Noire was laying down, holding a bleeding wound as best as she could. Neo-Alpha then transformed back into Neptune.

"This is it Neptune. I'm all that's left. The honor is yours…"

Neptune knelt downward planting her knee into Noire's wound inflicting inhuman amounts of pain onto her. But Noire stood silent, and stared Neptune directly in the eyes. Furious, Neptune wrapped her hands around Noire's neck, and pressed it tightly, choking her to death.

"You… k-know what?" Noire could barely speak. "In… another world, we could've been… a great couple…"

"I could only wish" Neptune responded solemnly.

Noire closed her eyes, accepting of her fate.

When Neptune released her hands she felt like a different person. This Neptune was no longer one that could afford to be cocky or lazy. It wasn't just Planeptune that was under her control now. Soon, the entire continent would be hers.

The CPU fell back into the marble. She looked up to see the scythe planted atop a hill, illuminated by the moon.

It was over.

* * *

 _ **~Epilogue~**_

 _The nations of Gamindustri all folded into the hands of Planeptune conquest. Hardly due to the efforts of its CPUs, whatever was left of Lowee's government gave in, and handed complete control to Planeptune CPUs Rom and Ram, who were more than happy to return to their home country, but felt empty, knowing there would always be one family member missing. Mina and Falcom stayed by their side as loyal advisor and bodyguard._

 _Uni, also now turned Planeptune CPU, took control of the remains of Lastation, as she rebuilt the country, Nepgear decided to help her along too. The two even started to become closer to each other… but that's another story for another time…_

 _Vert, Compa, Chika, IF, and MAGES returned to Gamindustri to pay their respects to the remains of Leanbox, still submerged in a sea of blood. The remaining military and the Leanbox refugees migrated to the P.C continent. There, the old ways of Leanbox died, and thus, they became citizens of a new land. Foreign to Gamindustri._

 _IF and Compa started a video game studio in the P.C continent, detailing their adventures in Gamindustri, albeit, the events were heavily exaggerated and dramatized. Nonetheless, they had successful careers, and used their funding to create a clinic, with a bit more security this time. They lived their lives as a cheery, yet very juxtaposing married couple._

 _Cave was nervous to quit her job as a maid to marry MAGES, but Vert simply smiled and told her to be happy. Both Cave and Mages now run, and orphanage funded by the remainder of Vert's fortune as well as their own funding._

 _During a concert, Chika had decided to confess her marriage to Vert with the help of the band performing, unbeknownst to her, Vert also had the same plan. The event was very heartfelt for them. They later divorced 2 years later due to employment issues._

 _Rei Ryghts and Peashy traveled as nomads through Gamindustri, helping survivors of the war to recover. She stopped caring about CPU control and simply left politics all together, she then focused on helping other people and raising Peashy to become the best woman she could be, despite her unholy strength. Rei, to this day, visits Lastation and drops a pair of Iris-colored flowers by the basilicom every now and then. Peashy was confused as to why, as Rei later discovered that Peashy had last all of her memory after she had passed out._

 _Kei Jinguji, who migrated with the rest of Leanbox, was almost executed by citizens who recognized her. Only through the good graces of one woman, named Red, was Kei allowed to be a free woman. Kei indebted her life to Red and pledged to be her servant for the rest of her days. Red, yearning for more, decided to marry her. The two lived happily for the time being._

 _Histoire upgraded from a tome into a fully functioning autonomous body. With this, she was able to establish her dominion in the government and lead the new continent of Gamindustri's government weeding out corruption and evil within. Ensuring peace for the continent for many years to come._

 _Nepgear finally got that duel with Purple Heart as Lilac heart, of Course Neptune won the moment she transformed into Neo-Alpha, but Nepgear claimed that she was cheating and could've totally beat her fair and square._

 _Finally, Neptune, with her Neo-Alpha, as well as all the support from the candidates, united the continent of Gamindustri as one, the four nations (three considering Leanbox is still a giant pool of blood) were now four states that adhered to the capital basilicom in Planeptune._

 _The name Gamindustri soon faded from the passages of history, Neptune called her new dominion: The United Planeptunian Federation. With the help of Histoire, she helped create a government free of corruption, and ensured that monsters like Lid, Vio, and Noire would never rise again._

 _With the help of her sister, she hunted down the last remaining remnants of ASIC and snuffed them out for good._

 _Every now and then, Neptune and Mina share a glass of whiskey next to Blanc's grave reminiscing over the old days. These visits started to become rarer and rarer as work seemed to pile up for the both of them._

 _Some nights, the people living near the basilicom see Neptune walk out onto the balcony. She stares at the moon, next to a weirdly shaped scythe, and if one happens to look closely enough, they just might see a tear leave her eyes._

 _ **~Fin~**_


End file.
